The Revelations Of Haruhi Suzumiya
by Hejin57
Summary: Takes place right after my last two stories. This time around, there's a new threat looming over Haruhi and her loyal SOS Brigade. And it may be the deadliest one yet, because it's a product of Suzumiya-san herself! Read and review!
1. Chapter 1

**Well, it seems that once again, I couldn't leave anyone waiting too long. I guess writing these stories is extremely fun, and it's even better considering how many people I have who actually read and review them. I seriously never expected to get so much recognition on anything that I've ever written.**

**But enough about that. This story is another in a series, the first two being The Incapability Of Haruhi Suzumiya before this, and then the first story, The Attraction Of Haruhi Suzumiya. I strongly suggest you read those two before you tackle this one. I've got a deeper plot in store for this story, but of course you can expect the usual bad humor, Haruhi and Kyon goodness, and etc. I want you guys to all enjoy this most of all, so I got myself a willing beta who'll make sure my stories stay true to the anime and novels(even though I've only read the first novel). I hope you guys enjoy this first chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Haruhi Suzumiya, or anything else that's related to her. That's all property of Nagaru Tanigawa, as we should all know. **

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_Hejin57 Presents..._

_**~~~~~~~~The Revelations Of Haruhi Suzumiya~~~~~~~~**_

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If you asked me about my daily life, I'd have a quite a lot to tell you.

First off, I would be telling you that it certainly wasn't something you could consider "average" or "normal". Anything that might have resembled a normal boring high school life is devoid from any of my daily excursions. In fact, my high school life is inhabited in part by such beings as time travelers, aliens and espers. These said beings should be found only in works of fiction. They belong only in novels and story books. Places that obviously show that they don't exist in the real world.

But I had such things clearly present in my life. I had one of each, in fact. I knew a shy, meek time traveler, a smiling esper boy, and a silent bibliophilic alien.

And to top it all off, there was yet another factor. It was one that preceded all of these that I had just mentioned. In fact, it was the biggest thing this side of the universe.

It was none other than Haruhi Suzumiya, my bossy Brigade Chief, friend, and even more recently, girlfriend. She was the center of all of this. She was the one and only reason why such things as time travelers and aliens even existed.

And I was the boy stuck in all of it. Everyone calls me Kyon, even though it's just a nickname that my little sister had foolishly given me some time ago. Even still, it managed to stick, and my actual name has fallen into obscurity. I probably should just change my name to Kyon permanently one day, at the rate I'm going.

Life with Haruhi is definitely something else. Forget normalcy, or common sense. Suzumiya-san disregards both of these things for the most part, and when you're in her SOS Brigade, you'll find yourself doing the same thing. Over time, I have developed myself to become used to my Brigade Chief and the crazy things that are constantly happening around her.

I almost find it amusing that I'm still actually referring to her as Brigade Chief. I guess I couldn't help but get used to life as a member of her Brigade. Even though I was practically forced into it, I've begun to voluntarily conform to its ways.

God. What have I done to myself?

It was merely a week after the incidents that had might have led to the possible destruction of the universe. I had managed to once again prevent total disaster from occurring. Personally, I think I was just lucky half the time.

Today was a Wednesday, and a typical day in the SOS Brigade. I sat in my usual seat, a chess board set up in front of me as I matched my wits against none other than our local esper boy, Itsuki Koizumi.

It was intense, to say the least. While it had been common knowledge that Koizumi was clearly bad at board games, I had noticed that he had been progressively getting better these past few weeks. In fact, I had almost lost to him in chess the other day.

"Interesting move." Itsuki said to me, eyeing my white king like it was a prize to be taken. His eyes always had this look to them that could chill you to the soul, and it was hard to look away from them sometimes.

But don't go getting the wrong idea about me! Like I said, I'm with Suzumiya-san! That's certainly better than whatever alternatives you're thinking of.

All that aside, my mind had been focused on the current game at hand. Haruhi Suzumiya wasn't currently present in the room, and I clearly remembering her saying something before she left, along the lines of…

"I have something to go pick up from the Computer Research Society next door. I'll be right back!"

When I had heard the mention of "pick up", I could only assume that she was yet again procuring something from the poor computer geeks that unfortunately had their club situated next door to ours. I can still remember when Haruhi had gone over and blackmailed the Computer Research Society President into forcefully providing the SOS Brigade with one of their latest and brand new computers. The look of defeat on the President's face when he had been forced to give his precious piece of hardware away was still very clear on my mind.

"This game looks simple in its execution. It seems like a waste of time and energy to partake in it." An autonomous, robotic voice said from beside me, and it belonged to none other than the alien Nagato-san. I looked up and her, only to see that her large emotionless eyes were almost glued to the chess board, as if it was just another piece of free-floating data for her to analyze.

She actually was more interested in this board game than in her books? Now that was a surprise. If I clearly can remember, the only thing that Nagato-san had actually been interested in besides books was computer games. One time, when we had played a supposedly friendly strategy game against the those computer geeks next door, Nagato-san had actually enjoyed crushing them when she was able to detect that they were cheating against us.

"Would you like to play, Nagato-san?" I asked the human interface next to me, mostly because it sounded like she might be interested. I could tell Itsuki was wearing a plastic smile in front of me, but I ignored it.

Yuki just looked down at the chess board for a few more seconds, remaining silent as always. Without even giving me an answer, she went back to her usual seat, picking up another one of her novels and beginning to read it again.

I shrugged. I guess chess just isn't an alien's thing.

"I made tea again." A sweet, child-like voice said from behind me. I didn't need to turn to automatically know that it was Asahina-san, and her brilliantly brewed tea and constantly shining smile were always things that never ceased to brighten my day. She was wearing her maid outfit, and she happily served us the hot cups of tea she had just poured out of the kettle.

Ah. Taking sips out of Asahina-san's tea is like taking a sip out of the fountain of youth. It has an amazing rejuvenating effect on ones' body and soul.

But as with all good things, even the solace of being able to drink Asahina-san's tea had to come to an end. And that end came with the loud noise that accompanied the door to the clubroom being flung wide open as someone entered in a hurry. And that someone was none other than our famous Brigade Chief.

"Yes! I got it!" Suzumiya-san announced in triumph, holding up something in her hand. I stood up from my seat, suddenly interested in whatever Haruhi had trapped in the strong grip of one of her delicate hands.

"What exactly did you get?"

"This new game from the Computer Research Society next door. It's called, "Day of Sagittarius IV"." Haruhi said, specifically while reading off the front of the CD's case.

I couldn't help but almost groan at the title of this game. Was this another scam by the Computer Research Society to get their beloved computers back? They had lost not only one, but five computers in total to the might of Haruhi Suzumiya. Come to think of it, they had barely sold any copies of Day Of Sagittarius III at the last cultural festival, so it was making me wonder where they got the idea to make another one.

"I heard about them recently making it, so I just had to pick up one for the Brigade. The first one was okay, but this one looks so much better!" Suzumiya-san exclaimed, and she said it in a way that made it sound like she didn't really want anyone else's opinions.

Figures. I should expect that Haruhi never usually asks for anyone else's input on her actions.

"Go ahead and load this up on my computer first, Kyon!" Suzumiya-san commanded me, handing out the game in my general direction as an obvious hint that this was an order that needed to be carried out.

I didn't sigh, nor did I respond to Haruhi in any way. I simply took the game from her hand, and sat down in the seat in front of the clubroom's desktop computer, putting the game disc inside the disc drive and waiting for it to boot up.

I'm beginning to find it strange that Haruhi continues to treat me mostly the same, except for the times where she actually wants to hold me hand and kiss me. I guess that she really means it when she says she doesn't have time for such things as relationships. But somehow, she still manages to end up staying with me.

I sighed. She still continues to be the same eccentric and strange girl as always.

The game installation window finally pops up on the computer screen, and I click on the next button to assure that I'm going to actually be installing this program. For the next few minutes, I'm continually clicking on the next button, until the screen suddenly flashes a message of large text in front of my face.

I read it carefully, and realize that it's telling me this game is too graphically advanced for Suzumiya-san's desktop computer to play. For a moment, I begin to feel nervous, unsure if I should really say anything to Suzumiya-san about this. But it seems she's already become too impatient in waiting for me to install the game, as she stomps over behind me, lowering herself to my eye level as she begins talking close to my ear.

"What's taking you so long? I want to play this already!"

"It says here that the computer isn't powerful enough to play this game. It needs a better graphics card or something." I say in a nonchalant tone to the obviously impatient Suzumiya-san, who stands up and begins to rub her chin in thought.

"Does the Computer Research Society have access to these cards?" Haruhi asked me, a curious tone in her voice.

"Sure. They probably have one of the newest ones in their computers. The fact is that all they do is play games on those computers most of the time." I replied, not adding the part where I was going to say that they probably surfed one a lot of adult stuff while no one was looking. I think it's amusing how the school is paying money for the computers they use for their "research."

"I think we need to pay them another visit!" Haruhi announced jubilantly, taking me by the hand as she began to drag me towards the clubroom door. I couldn't escape her strong grip, no matter how hard I tried.

It didn't take us long to reach the Computer Research Society's front door, and Suzumiya-san knocked with surprising self-control. We waited for a few seconds, until I heard the sound of someone turning a lock and slowly beginning to open the door.

It was easy to see the form of one of the members of the Computer Research Society open up the door. He was a scrawny, glasses-wearing individual, and it was safe to say that the sight of Suzumiya-san almost frightened him.

The member opened the door to the room fully, revealing that their President had been on his computer not too far behind him. Haruhi took no time in striding right into their clubroom like it was her own, catching the Computer Research Society President's attention almost immediately.

"You again?!? What do you want? You already stole our game. The one we've been working on for weeks…" the President said to Suzumiya-san, the sound of defeat and loss clearly apparent in his tone of voice. He sat nervously in his chair, the look on his face tense and annoyed.

"I'm here because we're in need of one of your graphics cards. My lackey here says we can't play that game without it." Suzumiya-san told the President, her hands at her hips as she was clearly talking down to him.

I held in a groan beside her. Even as her boyfriend, she still couldn't stop referring to me as a lowly Brigade member. Around the Computer Society Research President, his various members cowered in fear at the sight of Suzumiya-san, almost as if she was some gigantic kaiju who was threatening to destroy their beloved city.

"What? You're crazy! I'm not giving up our newest graphics card! I personally spent a fortune on it! There's no way in hell that you're getting you're hands on it!" the President said to Suzumiya-san, showing signs of defiance in his voice.

Beside me, our Brigade Chief had a sly smile on her face, her arms crossed as she glared at the boy in front of her. She walked towards him nonchalantly, making a purposeful wink at him as she got close enough so he would really hear just what she was telling him.

"You know, we haven't gotten rid of those pictures of you violating Mikuru-chan yet. They're still in a safe place, and all it takes is the press of the button to send them straight to whoever I want…"

I could see that the Computer Society President's face beginning to break out in a sweat. He looked like he was struggling to stand up against Suzumiya-san, and clearly failing. I couldn't help but feel sorry for the guy, even though I wasn't really taking any action to stop all this.

"Fine! You win…again. Just take the stupid card and go. It's inside the computer behind me…" he replied, putting his head down in defeat. Suzumiya-san gave him a smirk of satisfaction, before brushing past him and issuing a command to me as she stood in front of his computer tower.

"Open it up, Kyon!" she said to me, and I could do nothing more but oblige to her commands. The last thing we needed was for Suzumiya-san to become discontent, and cause a whole new slew of problems.

I firmly placed my hands around the casing of the computer tower, trying my best to gently open it. I can't say I was feeling too good participating in this sort of theft, but I really didn't have any choice in the matter.

Opening up the tower and revealing the delicate inner mechanics of the computer, I watched as Suzumiya-san scanned over the various electronic parts that it was composed of. I can imagine she was looking for a literal card, and she didn't understand much of what it actually looked like.

Finally, I watched her face light up in joy.

"There it is!" she said, quickly reaching her hand into the depths of the towers' various circuits and such.

"WAIT!!!!" the Computer Society President shouted in fear, one of his hands feebly outstretched. A mechanical ripping sound could be heard after he had tried to stop Haruhi, and I saw that she was now staring at what looked like a large green computer chip in between her slender fingers. It was certainly showing signs that it had been ripped clean off of whatever it was attached to, as colored pieces of wire were stuck to it and still letting off tiny sparks from their torn ends.

"This little card is what makes the difference if we can play the game or not?" Suzumiya-san said in confusion, scratching the back of her head as she inspected the chip in her fingers. I sighed, not surprised that Haruhi had actually done something so stupid. Behind me, I could hear the President beginning to hyperventilate.

"My computer! You ruined it!" he said to Suzumiya-san, his voice dramatic and a look of utter shock and disbelief on his face. Our Brigade Chief looked dissatisfied at what she was holding, putting the ripped-out card down on one of the nearby desks and walking back to the door. She turned around to face all of the Computer Research Society now, an indifferent look on her face.

"That was a waste of time. We'll get that card eventually, I guess." She said, almost as if nothing had happened. With that, I watched her open the door and walk out, and I assumed she was heading back to the clubroom.

I was in some disbelief, to tell the truth. I couldn't help but stand in place for a few seconds, raising an eyebrow in slight confusion.

For one thing, that certainly showed that Haruhi could be very careless when she wanted to be. I should be glad she doesn't exercise this kind of attitude towards me very often. If she did, I'd probably not want to even be within a twelve-mile radius of her.

"My computer…." The President said behind me, and he was hugging his now broken tower like it was some sort of precious object. I sighed, mostly at the pathetic attempt his members showed in crowding around their leader and comforting him in his time of need.

Walking out of that lair of technology and out into the hallway, I knew that my only destination now would be the clubroom. I walked towards the door, but as I wrapped my hand around the doorknob, I could hear unfamiliar voices inside.

They were not the usual voices that emanated from the room, but something was telling me that I had definitely heard them before. One of them sounded obnoxious and over-dramatic, and the other was quieter and more precise. I cautiously turned the doorknob and opened the door.

And there in front of me stood two people that I would never expect to see in the vicinity of the clubroom in a million years. Two people who had both labeled me as liking weird girls, and who had both specifically accused me of having completely conformed to Suzumiya-san's weirdness. They were right on both counts, but I couldn't help but gawk at the sight of them sitting in the SOS Brigade clubroom.

It was none other than Taniguchi and Kunikida, who had both taken up extra chairs in the middle table, and were enjoying themselves to some of Asahina-san's precious tea. Haruhi was standing behind them, a disapproving look on her face, her arms crossed.

Unfortunately, Taniguchi was the first of the two to notice that I had entered the room, and he flashed a grin at me, waving like I was some thirty feet away instead of right in front of him.

"Kyon! Suzumiya's club doesn't actually seem too bad!" he said to me, his face just oozing with his self-deluded sense of hilarity. I groaned internally.

You have just got to be kidding me. Don't tell me these two are actually considering joining Haruhi's Brigade? What the hell has become of the world these days?

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**Hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter. I just couldn't keep you waiting too long. I'm just crazy like that. But I hope the first chapter isn't too boring. My beta thought so. I plan on giving more screen time to other characters this time around. Sorry if they seem neglected. More to come, soon enough. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's the next chapter, everyone. I have a feeling this is going to spark a lot of questions. That's always something I enjoy doing with my readers. Enjoy!**

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I really can't believe this. I'm really think I'm going crazy right now. That cannot be Taniguchi and Kunikida sitting in the SOS Brigade clubroom. I'm seeing those same two people who had been constantly teasing me because of my involvement with Suzumiya-san's Brigade, now sitting inside the clubroom.

But low and behold, they were in fact sitting in the vicinity of the clubroom. I sighed loudly as I rubbed my palm on my forehead in confusion and surprise.

"This club doesn't seem so bad." Kunikida commented, taking another sip of Asahina-san's tea. For some reason, I felt something grip my heart as I watched these two almost greedily gorge themselves on the sacred brew that Mikuru-chan would usually make for myself and Itsuki Koizumi every single day.

Koizumi didn't seem to have much of in terms of words for any of this, a plastic smile on his face as he merely watched the two in front of him enjoying their tea. I wasn't surprised that Nagato-san didn't even take notice of these newcomers, as she was fine with reading her book in peace.

Suzumiya-san was still behind Taniguchi, an obviously dissatisfied and annoyed look on her cute face as she remained surprisingly silent to all that was going on.

You'd think that after all this time that I've spent with her, I would know what she was probably thinking inside that cranium of hers by now. But unfortunately, I knew as much about Suzumiya-san's inner thoughts as I knew about the location of The Ark of The Covenant. It was long lost knowledge that could probably never be found.

"I like this club already! Sitting around and drinking tea all day, and being surrounded by hot chicks on top of it. I could get used to this…" Taniguchi commented, leaning back in his chair and relaxing more than he probably should be, especially in the vicinity of our stubborn and bossy Brigade Chief.

This idiot had no idea what this club was even about. If I cared about his well-being, I might have actually had the audacity to warn him about what he was planning on getting himself into.

"Would you like some more?" Mikuru-chan sweetly asked the table of boys, the hot tea kettle in her small, doll-like hands. Koizumi shook his head to signify a no, while still keeping the plastic smile pasted on his face. Taniguchi and Kunikida answered quite fast, not much to my surprise.

"More for me!"

"I'd like some more too."

Like the maid she was dressed up as, Mikuru-chan obliged to both these requests, pouring more of her tea so the two newcomers could eagerly drink it down. I couldn't help but sigh at this sight, mostly because I was feeling sorry for the fact that Asahina-san was still okay with having to assume the forced role of the SOS Brigade maid on a daily basis. She really had no choice under Suzumiya-san's iron fisted rule, actually. And if I wanted to keep myself clear from bodily harm, I couldn't do much about it.

Finally, I could see Haruhi reach her breaking point, and she went to the front of the clubroom's large middle table, slamming her hand down like she was projecting out all her anger and distaste into the piece of furniture.

"This club isn't about sitting on your ass and drinking tea all day!" she announced loud enough so that both Taniguchi and Kunikida could hear. The expression on her face showed definite annoyance and disapproval of the conduct that both of the newcomers had shown so far, and my mind was already calculating how long it would take for these two to get kicked out of the clubroom.

Koizumi was somehow able to remain awkwardly silent throughout all this, and something was telling me that perhaps he was saving up his words for some large speech he had planned for me later in the day. I took a quick look at my watch. We still had some time to go before any of us were free. There was something about today that wasn't making me feel so great.

"So what is this club about then? What kind of activities do you guys have?" Kunikida innocently asked, being the first to speak after hearing Suzumiya-san's rant, as she had nearly silenced anything that might have stupidly come out of Taniguchi's mouth. I was a bit relieved to see a sight like this. That guy needed someone else to shut him up once in awhile.

And that was the million dollar question right there! The exact question that Haruhi was going to answer in a heart beat. I think I've always greatly preferred Kunikida over Taniguchi by a long shot.

"What's this club about? I'll tell you!"

Suzumiya-san's response was already beginning to bring back memories of when we first started this SOS Brigade. I could swear to you that the expression on Suzumiya-san's face was the exact same one she was wearing when she first announced the name of her newly formed club.

"We are the SOS Brigade, and the goal of our club is to seek out all time travelers, aliens and espers, and have fun with them!" Haruhi exclaimed in a loud enough voice that could have probably carried what she said out the open window behind her. Suzumiya-san's hands were on her hips as she said this, a sharp gleam in her amber eyes, and a satisfied smile on her face. Behind her, Nagato-san continued to just silently read her novel, her silence deeply contrasting against all the energy that Haruhi was putting out.

I realized only now that I myself had been silent this entire time. Was there really much for me to say in a situation like this? I certainly didn't think so. I watched as Mikuru-chan stopped and listened to exactly what Suzumiya-san had announced, and I had to admit how cute she looked holding her tray of tea cups and wearing that maid outfit of hers. Of course, I would not dare ever say these kind of things in the vicinity of Suzumiya-san herself.

Taniguchi and Kunikida both had expressions on their faces that looked like they were both utterly and completely confused. From my perspective, they seemed like they were having trouble fully ingesting what Suzumiya-san just said to them.

When I noticed Taniguchi's eye begin to slightly twitch, and a grin beginning to form from ear to ear, I knew exactly what he was going to do next.

"Bwahahahahaha! You've got to be kidding me! Man, Kyon! Suzumiya really is a freak!" he said out loud through his abominable laughter, and it was safe to say that his laugh was not an enjoyable one to have to listen to. It sounded like a dying hippopotamus, if you ask me.

Kunikida looked partially confused, but he wasn't laughing it up like that idiot Taniguchi was. Mikuru-chan had her empty tray against her maid outfit, and I could see she was looking kind of afraid. The source of fear should of have been undeniable to me by now.

Suzumiya-san's face seemed to just twist in anger more and more as she listened to Taniguchi's laughing fit. The guy just wouldn't stop laughing. Nothing funny had actually been said, and he just wouldn't shut his mouth already!

But I have to say that I was getting a little nervous at the sight of Suzumiya-san's expression. I found it even more unnerving that Koizumi didn't seem to care even as she stomped over to the laughing Taniguchi. This wasn't going to end well…

I'd be crazy if I said that didn't try my best to hold in a laugh of my own when I watched Suzumiya-san firmly grab Taniguchi by the back of his blazer, and suddenly start hoisting him up with newfound strength.

"I was joking! I was joking!" he quickly pleaded as Suzumiya-san held the back of his blazer tightly, bringing him back like she was going to use him as a battering ram. Our Brigade Chief had commanded Asahina-san to open up the clubroom door, and a stunned Kunikida watched as Suzumiya-san took no time in literally throwing Taniguchi out of the clubroom, having ignored all his pleas for mercy.

He landed hard on the hallway floor outside, and I could hear moans emanating from his crash-landed form as got himself up, rubbing the back of his head painfully. I easily noticed that Kunikida had already gotten out of his chair and proceeded to remove himself from the vicinity of the clubroom. The look on his face was utterly priceless.

"I guess I should have warned you. She doesn't like it when you don't take her seriously." I commented nonchalantly, and Taniguchi gave just gave me an over-dramatic expression in response.

"Jeez…put her on a leash, will ya?" the slightly hurt Taniguchi said, and he made a nervous glance at Suzumiya-san, who was still standing in front of the door. She had seemingly ignored his comment, pointing an accusing finger at him like she was pointing to the perpetrator of a crime.

"I'm going to make something clear for you. The SOS Brigade is not for slackers and nonbelievers! We don't have room for people who aren't ready to take the principles of my Brigade. I don't expect to see either of you normal humans in the vicinity of this clubroom ever again, or the penalty won't be pretty for either of you!" she told Taniguchi and Kunikida in a commanding voice, a frown on her face and her eyes probably burning their fiery gaze into the two boys' souls.

"I think this club seems too wild for me." Kunikida commented, walking beside a now silent Taniguchi, who had taken no action in responding to Suzumiya-san. I guessed he was probably a little frightened of her by now. Now he knows how the rest of us feel. Before Haruhi could say anything else, they both left our sight as fast as they possibly could.

Haruhi looked satisfied now, nodding to herself as she watched the two finally disappear from her view. I should note now that I never imagined myself having such a girlfriend as Suzumiya-san. Note to self: remember to take Haruhi out sometime this week. Failure to do so might possibly cause the destruction of the universe.

Ugh, the destruction of the universe. That's definitely a topic I should have been used to by now. With Suzumiya-san, apocalypse always seems to be around the corner.

"Well, at least that's dealt with now." Haruhi said, as if she had not just literally thrown a teenage boy out of this room. Things like that always seemed normal to Suzumiya, even though they were clearly viewed as abnormal to everyone else.

"It's too bad that they could not be turned into suitable club members." Koizumi commented, finally managing to actually say something after being silent for so long. He was leaning his chin on his hands in a relaxed pose, the usual smile on his face.

"They were just going to end up being useless, even if they hadn't ended up insulting the Brigade. The last thing we need is more useless members!" Suzumiya-san replied, placing over to the desktop computer that was situated in the room.

What do you mean more useless members? Is she trying to say that I'm useless in this club or something? I figured that she'd at least be respecting me a little bit more, considering that she's actually my girlfriend now!

What's the point? There's no use in actually trying to rationalize what Suzumiya-san does. Like Koizumi says, while she can think rationally, she rarely does so. Her tiny sense of rational is probably the only thing stopping her from actually finding proof of any time travelers, espers and aliens. The same proof that's comes to her clubroom every single day!

Without saying another word, I watched Suzumiya-san sit down in front of her computer, grabbing the pair of large, black headphones she kept underneath the desk. She firmly placed them on her head, causing her hair to scrunch up in places due to the size of the headphones.

"Don't bother me. I have to do some important things, and the last thing I need is being interrupted while I'm doing it!" Suzumiya-san clearly exclaimed to all of us, before completely focusing herself on the computer screen. What she said sounded a little mean from my perspective, but I guess I just assumed that Haruhi was probably in a bad mood because of how Taniguchi reacted to her introduction of the Brigade.

If the world ends anytime soon, I'll at least find solace in knowing that it's all his fault. I sigh to myself. Let's hope that Haruhi doesn't stay mad for too long.

"I find it quite convenient that Suzumiya-san puts the volume on those headphones so high. It allows us to discuss important matters even when she is inside this room with us." A voice said a few feet from me, and it was unmistakably Koizumi's. He still had his chin resting on his hands, a smile as clear as day on his face.

"That's considering she doesn't blow her eardrums out first. But I guess you have a point…" I replied, sitting down in the now empty chair that was across from Itsuki. This chair had been occupied only moments ago by Kunikida, until he left like the wind after watching Suzumiya-san literally throw Taniguchi out of the room.

That was a smart move coming from him. He evaded Suzumiya-san's wrath for the time being.

"Are you familiar with the Book of Revelation, Kyon?"

I raised an eyebrow in response to what Koizumi was asking me. The Book of Revelation? Had I heard of that before? I think I remember hearing about some mention of it in the past. I really can't put my finger about it, but it involved…God.

Or at least what some people believe to be a God. I'm not familiar with the religions of the world too much, but I at least know what the Bible is, and that the Book of Revelation has something to do with that.

"Out of curiosity, does this have something to do with Haruhi?" I asked sarcastically to the still smiling Koizumi, but he didn't seem to get my tone of voice, and he answered me as if my question had actually been serious.

Koizumi sat up fully now, his eyes now narrowing in seriousness, even though the smile on his face remained.

"You are correct."

Do I win a prize? No, I don't. Koizumi just keeps talking.

"I doubt you might know any of this, but the Book of Revelation is an apocalyptic piece of literature, chronicling the days that lead up to an eventual end of the world. I'm not too familiar with it myself, but it is mandatory in the Agency that we know at least some information pertaining to this text. For some members of my organization, the Book of Revelation is what they believe to be the series of events that Suzumiya-san will inadvertently cause." Koizumi told me, his hands at his lap.

It's great that Koizumi finds the need to doubt my knowledge from time to time. It's not like I didn't save him and everyone else on multiple occasions. Can't I get at least a little more credit?

"What you're saying, that would mean that you're actually considering Suzumiya-san to be God? I might not know much about it, but you do realize that you're referring to a religious text, right?"

Koizumi tossed his hair, and I personally found the action to be almost vain. Nevertheless, he answered me clearly and with preciseness in his voice.

"It's hard to know what Suzumiya-san actually is. All we really know is what she can cause. But there are some things mentioned in the Book of Revelation that I can't help but worry over, due to the similarities they have of situations we have faced in the past. They almost relate to her state of being, actually. For example, the concept of the Antichrist is intriguing, in a way."

My mind was already shuffling back to anything that I could think of that related to what Koizumi was referring to. I'd heard the term Antichrist before, but again, it was related to a religion, and it wasn't something rooted in scientific fact or anything like that. How would it be related to Haruhi, anyway?

Not far from us, I began to get worried that Suzumiya-san might overhear what we were talking about.

But as I watched to see what she was doing, I could clearly hear the noise of what sounded like electronic beeps and such emanating from her headphones. She was moving her mouse erratically, and I concluded that she wasn't actually doing anything useful, and that Haruhi was just playing a game.

Glancing over to see what Nagato-san was doing, I found that the alien wasn't reading her book, and that she was actually watching whatever Suzumiya-san was playing on her computer. I assumed it was probably Day of Sagittarius III. I'm surprised Haruhi is even playing that game right now, considering she was terrible at it last time I saw her playing it, and there's the fact that she hates losing at anything in the first place.

But back to what Koizumi was telling me. Maybe he has something important to tell me once he's done talking about all this religious gibberish.

"Is there a point you're supposed to be getting to? I know enough about the apocalypse already. I've prevented it multiple times by now." I responded sardonically, and it was easy to tell I was already beginning to get bored hearing Koizumi and his ramblings. Something was telling me to get up and go home, but I didn't have the will to move out of this chair.

"I fear that we may have new problems on our hands that you won't be able to handle by yourself, Kyon. I cannot see the future or travel through time, but it doesn't take a lot of skill to figure out when dangerous events could be on the horizon." Koizumi stated, this time with a less carefree tone in his voice. The smile was gone by now, so I was assuming that perhaps he was getting annoyed by the fact I wasn't taking him too seriously.

"I know what you're getting at. We just can't let Haruhi get too mad, or too bored. She can't be conflicting with her inner emotions, and we can't let her stop believing in strange phenomenon. I've been through all this."

The thoughts in my head were glossing over the things I was saying. It was true to say that if we let Haruhi get into any emotional extremes, then there's the possibility she could end the world in a heart beat. I'd see it two times before. The first time, she was in love with me, and unable to accept it, and the second time, she was losing her faith in time travelers, espers and aliens.

Is there any limit to the things we have to make sure this girl doesn't do? I hate having to think about this kind of stuff whenever it regards Suzumiya-san. Sometimes I wish she could just be a normal but eccentric girl, instead of an eccentric girl with the power to drastically affect reality.

Koizumi sighed to himself. When he responded to me, he sounded like I he was explaining a concept like simple addition to a young child.

"I'm not talking about Suzumiya-san's emotional state. There's something beyond that. I've been having a strange feeling lately, and it surfaces every time I enter an area of closed space. There's a foreign presence that I've never felt before in any area of closed space."

"What kind of presence are you talking about?" I asked, as Koizumi was suddenly beginning to get my attention, mostly because he had gone over his topic of that religious book.

Koizumi looked unsure before he answered me. It was the kind of look that Mikuru-chan might give before she would say "classified information". Nevertheless, the esper boy responded, his eyes still quite serious.

"I don't know what it is, but something about it cannot be pinpointed to Suzumiya-san. She's not directly causing it, so I'm beginning to feel alarmed about it. It may just be a some sensation that I've been feeling recently every time I enter an area of closed space, but something is telling me that there may yet be much more phenomenon concerning Suzumiya-san than we previously thought."

I leaned back in my chair, very interested in the things that Koizumi had told me. Some sort of strange presence in closed space? Something about that didn't seem out of place to me, but to this esper boy, it seemed like a problem. Could it be Ryoko Asakura?

She had shown the ability to enter closed space, something I thought only Itsuki and his esper colleagues could do. But I watched Suzumiya-san enact what Nagato-san had called "total data eradication". If the alien was correct, there would be absolutely no part of Asakura-san left to even constitute as a presence.

I took a glance at Haruhi, who was still clearly interested in the game she was currently playing on her computer. My mind was already considering possibilities of taking her out one of these days, perhaps so I could calm her down if she was the actual cause of whatever Koizumi was talking about. Even though Haruhi didn't actually expect much from me as her boyfriend, I guess I still should spend money on her from time to time. There was nothing wrong with that.

I found myself watching Haruhi longer than I expected. The word that Koizumi had said, "Antichrist", entered my thoughts at this moment.

What kind of things are you causing, Suzumiya-san? If only you knew all the problems you create for the rest of us....

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**As a note, I'm not saying that Haruhi is actually God in this story. I just thought it would be fun to do all the references to religous texts. And it pretains to the story title and the plot as well. Next chapter to be up soon. Hope you're enjoying this so far. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**And here comes a new chapter! Hope you enjoy, everyone!**

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It's truly amazing how many questions I can ask myself on a daily basis. While I'm not actually talking to myself out loud when I do this, I find that I can always question one thing or another in the back of my mind. It's kind of a bad habit, actually.

I found myself leaning back in the fold-up chair I had been sitting in this entire time, just having absorbed the breadth of what Koizumi had told me regarding Suzumiya-san and her relation to a religious text.

The notion of her being considered an actual God sounded completely and utterly ridiculous to me. Sure, she may be able to bend reality from time to time, but in no way do I believe that she actually is what some people believe to be a God.

I looked at Suzumiya-san, who still seemed content with playing on the computer until the world came to an end. Nagato-san was still watching her intently, and I noticed that the light-haired alien did not even take the time to blink as she watched Haruhi play.

What was going on in her alien mind? I've always wondered how Yuki actually operated, because if you ask me, she seems more like an automated machine than an actual alien being. A human interface is what she called herself, actually. Was there more humanity in her than I knew about? I had seen hints of it in the past, from the fact she enjoyed crushing the Computer Research Club in that game, to something as simple as the her reaction when I had told her she looked cuter without glasses. Still, I couldn't be too sure.

Now do you see what I was talking about? I ask too many questions, even though they're being asked in the safety of my thoughts. This is certainly a habit I should stop doing in due time. Whenever I get around to it…

The sound of furious clicking that had been coming from Suzumiya-san's side of the room stopped, and I knew automatically that it signified Haruhi had gotten bored of playing Day of Sagittarius. I was kind of expecting she would get bored of the game after a half-hour or so of playing it.

"I guess we're done for today." She indifferently said to us all, getting up from the chair after she took those big black headphones off her head. Haruhi always had this strange sort of grace to her. She was could be clumsy at times, but there was something you could admire about that. Don't ask me what that means. I really can't explain something like that.

"We can leave?" I asked our Brigade Chief, and my voice was sounding a little more excited than usual, to Haruhi's disappointment. She answered almost quietly.

"Yes. You can all go."

Something in the back of my mind was glad that I now had the freedom to leave the clubroom. No longer was I chained to this room. I was free to frolic for the rest of tonight. I was free to sleep when I got home, and maybe just read a good book or something. Maybe I'll pick up something new to read from Matsumoto Books. Perhaps one of those science-fiction novels that I've been neglecting to indulge in for some time now.

I looked to my side, and I could see that Koizumi had already stood up, and he was in the process of getting his school bag from underneath the table. Yuki Nagato was the first to actually leave the room, having silently closed her novel, and then proceeding to walk past everyone as she opened up the door to the room.

Like a ghost, and without any sort of goodbye, Yuki left us. I wasn't actually surprised by this. While I had yet to enter the clubroom after school before anyone else arrived, I had always known that Nagato-san's departures were always the same. They were silent and quick.

When I finally decided to leave the clubroom myself, I waited for Suzumiya-san to leave before me. Asahina-san was gone after Koizumi, and there had been a minimal amount of time where I had to vacate the room for her to change out of her maid outfit. Surprisingly, Haruhi didn't force-change Mikuru this time around. The fact that Haruhi would do that to Asahina-san so often was enough for it to feel like some sick tradition to.

"Lock-up when you're done." Haruhi told me before she left the room, and I have to admit that she was sounding almost melancholic. This could only spark worry in my mind, because I knew what happened when she got too melancholic. I knew quite well.

In a quick fashion, I obliged to Haruhi's request, locking up the door behind me and quickly shoving the clubroom key in one of my jacket pockets. With my bag slung over my shoulder, and I ran down the hallway to catch up with Suzumiya-san, who was walking at a slow pace.

"Hey." I said casually, my hands in my pockets as I was now walking beside Suzumiya-san. She didn't look sad or anything, but something about her face kept telling me she was in deep focus or something.

"You made sure to lock the clubroom up tight, right Kyon? The last thing we need is someone trespassing." Suzumiya-san asked me, an almost devious smile starting to appear on her face. While she sounded serious, I was getting the feeling she was just messing around with me.

"Yeah, I made sure."

I added a smile at the end, while moving a little closer to Suzumiya-san at the same time. Slowly but surely I let my hand touch her smaller, more delicate one, and in a short amount of time, both our hands were interlocked in each others.

Haruhi gave no initial reaction to this, but she didn't pull away, so I assumed it was okay with her. I still can't get over how perfect she can look sometimes. Even when she's angry, or sad, or discontent, her features have never ceased to remain stunning to me,

We were still silent even when we had exited out of the entrance of North High, and I guessed I would be walking with Haruhi until we reached her house. I didn't care who might see us holding hands like this, as the fact that we were together now was clearly known in the entire school.

In fact, I was beginning to think that some people might even be jealous of the fact that I was the one going out with Haruhi, even after many of these same people had labeled her as a freak and a weirdo. You know, I should be reveling in the envy that other people might have towards me, because they aren't the one holding hands and walking with this eccentric girl…

As we walked, the silence was already beginning to get to me. I couldn't keep this up for much longer.

"So is there a reason you started playing Day of Sagittarius again?" I asked the silent Haruhi, who looked up at me with those large amber eyes of hers. Gah, those eyes of hers could certainly be deadly in persuading people, even when she's not using them to glare into your soul.

"Well, of course! If I can get good enough at that game, then it won't be long till we can challenge the Computer Research Society to it again." Haruhi responded, and I was beginning to feel relieved at the fact that she was now sounding energetic and upbeat as usual. I guess the silence she has around me when we're alone is only a momentary thing then.

"Why would you want to challenge them again?"

"You're so ignorant sometimes, Kyon! There's always something to be gained from other people. And if we get good enough to beat the Computer Research Society at their game again, then we can force them to give up those cards you were talking about. They already are subject to my whims for losing to us the first time, but I figured that I'd give them some mercy and let them stand a fighting chance."

Mercy? You think you're being merciful by giving those computer geeks a chance to lose? Because if I'm not mistaken, losing seems to be the only option for them, because the consequences of Haruhi losing are not the kind that any of us would like to face.

Suzumiya-san obviously had these plans in her head this entire time. No wonder she'd been so silent. The silence meant she was cooking up another plot. I can't say that I'm really surprised with how manipulative and controlling she can be sometimes. Especially considering all the times when she's like this towards me.

"So we're just going to crush them and take some of their precious graphic cards, just so you can play the game that you also took from them?" I asked, to make sure I was hearing the right words that had come out of Suzumiya-san's mouth.

"You got that right! That's exactly what we're going to do."

I made an internal sigh, not astounded by the fact that Haruhi found her plan to be completely within normal moral boundaries. To her, blackmailing and extortion was fine when she wasn't the one at the receiving end.

We were still walking at this point, because even thought Haruhi's house wasn't as far from school as mine was, it was still a long walk to and from North High. Nevertheless, I was enjoying talking to Suzumiya-san on this walk, however, even though all she had talked about thus far was the suffering she planned on causing the Computer Research Society.

It constantly dawned upon me how much trouble we caused them. If anyone beside me had taken the brunt of Haruhi's bossiness and manipulation, it was definitely the President of the Computer Research Society. I wouldn't be surprised if he hates Suzumiya-san with a burning passion by now, considering she's forcefully taken probably some hundred thousand yen worth of computer equipment from him and his club members.

"Hey Haruhi, I have a question I wanted to ask you." I said out of the blue, suddenly having the feeling to toy around with Haruhi's usual interest with the strange and the bizarre. I rarely did this, but as her boyfriend, I figured I might as well amuse her once in awhile.

"What is it?" Suzumiya-san asked me, giddiness apparent in her voice at the sound of my question. If I didn't know any better, I would have said that it's as if she knew that my question was going to involve something outlandish. I am truly amazed at her intuition sometimes.

"Out of curiosity, what might you do if you had the power of a god?"

Now that was truly the million dollar question right there. I had always wanted to ask Suzumiya-san that question, even though I was asking it to her right now in a clearly hypothetical sense. At least, I hope she would take it that way. If I was giving Suzumiya-san any bright ideas that might lead to her becoming aware of her own power, then I wasn't heading down a good road at all by asking her this specific question.

"That's an easy question! A really easy question!" Haruhi replied, and the expression on her face was telling me she was extremely confident in her judgment and in whatever response she had thought of. I raised an eyebrow, not wanting to pass up this chance in doubting her just a little bit.

"Oh really? So tell me then, Brigade Chief. If you were God, what would you do?"

When I said this, I didn't doubt for a second on what kind of answer Haruhi was going to give me. I was already playing the possibilities in my thoughts at the same time she started talking with the speed and tenacity of a sports announcer.

"There's a lot I would do, but there are things that I would have to take care of first and foremost! The first thing I would do would involve making the SOS Brigade a mandatory club for everyone in the entire world. It won't matter if you believe in aliens or not. You join the club, and you like it! After that, I would build up the Brigade into a big enough organization so that it can make laws and stuff. I'd search for all the espers, time travelers and aliens that I can find in every corner of this planet, and they'd all automatically be inducted as official members of the Brigade. All the normal humans will just end up being lowly Brigade members, and they'll all have to listen to my commands. I think the world would be a better place if I was in charge." Suzumiya-san completely explained to me as we walked. Her tone confident and completely sure that what she was saying was more than credible.

I'd say Haruhi ruling the world as "Ultra Brigade Chief" would be debatable as a good thing. While Suzumiya-san might be able to do some good, like intimidate other countries enough with her power to end all future wars and conflicts, I predicted that Suzumiya-san in power would really only mean one thing.

Everyone else would be listening to her, and those who defied her would end up suffering a terrible and agonizing death.

What am I saying? Even Haruhi isn't that cruel. Perhaps she would just publicly embarrass you if you were unlucky enough to defy her godly rule…

"And where would I end up in all this insanity?" I said to Haruhi, smiling a little and stopping as she did. We both were standing just some feet away from her house now.

Haruhi looked at me with an expression that made it seem like I had asked a ridiculous question. A devilish smile emerged on her face, and her eyes gleamed with the usual determination and optimism that I knew and loved.

"Well, you would be lucky enough to become one of the more privileged Brigade members. It's not often that I meet such a normal human like you, Kyon."

That response did nothing less of making my heart skip a beat. If there was anything that I had been waiting for Suzumiya-san to say to me, it was something like this. The fact that she was actually referring me as an honorary Brigade member was warming me up with positive energy from head to toe.

I'll admit that I was unprepared when Suzumiya-san leaned in to give me a kiss. The taste of her lips was the same as always, but it still was still a heavenly sensation. This kiss lasted for a few seconds, until she broke away, seemingly satisfied.

"Those are rewards. If you please your Brigade Chief with hard work and diligence, you get more of them. I would think you'd prefer them over penalties. Now don't go being late tomorrow, Kyon." Haruhi told me after giving me her "reward".

"I'll try not to." I said with a smile, and Suzumiya-san put on a playful pouting expression, obviously not happy with my sense of humor.

"I'm serious! Don't be late. I'll see you tomorrow!"

Suzumiya-san's voice was actually not too bad on the ears when she decided to make it nice enough. I watched her run like an excited little girl to the front door of her house, and she waved at me one last time before walking inside. I couldn't help but be curious about the inside of her home. What might her parents be like? Something tells me they're just as eccentric as their daughter…

I stood at the street corner for just a bit longer, until I stopped thinking about assorted things, and finally decided it was time to head home.

When I got up to my room, I found myself reveling in the fact that I was able to avoid my little sister upon arriving home. I had gobbled down some dinner, washed up, lazily changed into my sleeping clothes, and ran up to the sanctity of my room before my little sister could seek me out like the homing pigeon she was.

I fell back on my comfy bed. Looking up at the ceiling and just thinking seemed to be what was ahead of me now. I had no schoolwork to do, mostly because I can find time to do it during an uneventful break, or when Suzumiya-san isn't present in the clubroom for an extended period of time.

I remember one time when she had caught me doing my school work in the middle of the club room, and Haruhi had just casually taken my paper from me and thrown it out the nearby window. This had been a long time ago, in the days when I had only just met Suzumiya-san. I remembered being pretty steamed about that.

But there were a lot of good memories involving Suzumiya-san as well. Too many of them for me to count, actually. But still, they were there. They were still there, sitting in the back of my mind….

Something was talking in my ear. I was content with sleeping at the moment, so I just ignored it. Whoever was talking wasn't very audible anyway.

"Awaken."

Whatever it was that was talking to me, it had said a discernable word. The voice that spoke sounded familiar. It was devoid of emotion or flavor, even though it had enough volume to catch my attention the second time it spoke.

"I am attempting to awaken you. Please awaken yourself from your sleeping state."

I was beginning to realize who might be addressing me. Who else did I know who spoke in such a way? I feebly began to open my eyes, rolling over in my covers as I turned to the side of my bed. I was looking up now at none other than Yuki Nagato, who was standing only a foot away from my bed, staring down at me.

"Nagato-san? What are you doing here…." I said in a sleepy voice. Man, I had really just fallen asleep too easily before. One minute I was thinking about Haruhi, and the next, I was out.

"You need to come with me. There is much to elaborate on." Yuki told me in her usual monotone voice, not making even the slightest movement or sign of body language as she spoke.

I reluctantly obliged to her commands, rubbing the back of my head as I sat up in my bed. Yuki didn't seem to react much to this, and I was beginning to have half a mind to ask her what she was doing here at this time. There was no doubt that it was probably past midnight by now.

"Is there a problem?" I asked, my eyes still feeling sleepy.

"It will be fully explained soon. I hope this does not give you discomfort."

After Nagato-san said this to me, I looked up to see that she had a single finger pointed directly at my forehead. Before I could say anything, or do anything, she touched me there, and I felt everything suddenly become a blinding white.

This blinding effect had only lasted a second or two however, and I soon found myself in an awkward sitting position, and something that felt like hard asphalt was making up ground underneath me.

I stood up, still groggy from having just been awoken. Opening my eyes fully, I was greeted by an unexpected sight.

I was now standing in what looked like a very long street that kept going on into the distance, and the sky around me was not too normal looking at all. Instead of the color that usually signified it was nighttime, there were instead coruscating colors and lights that had replaced what might have been the sky and any clouds. It was as if the sky had become a giant kaleidoscope of some sort, but I was surprised to notice that the rapidly changing colors weren't hurting my eyes.

"This is a junk data space. It is where any unsuitable or corrupt data is sent to if Suzumiya-san deems it to be so. She has no control over why she does this, nor is she aware of it. Even still, it continues to be done."

The voice who had said those very words belonged to the same person who had sent me here in the first place. Nagato-san was standing next to me now, a blank expression on her face. I was still a little confused, wondering why Yuki had decided that she needed to bring me here. Actually, I should know not to ask such things by now. Chances are this involves Suzumiya-san in some way, shape or form.

"A what?"

I had barely heard most of what Nagato-san had said, probably because I was still feeling too tired to actually listen.

"What did you say, Nagato-san?" I asked, this time with more energy as I found myself viewing my surroundings. The changing sky was already beginning to remind me of the time when I had been trapped in a data space by Asakura-san. She had tried to kill me when I was trapped in there, and I would be dead if the alien standing next to me hadn't interfered.

Even after a few seconds, the light-haired alien did not answer my question. She was completely silent and unmoving now, as if she was focusing on something in front of her that I could not see. It was like I had a statue standing next to me.

What is going on here? What's the point of just teleporting me with her to this place?

"Nagato-san?" I said to the alien, waving my hand in front of her face to make sure she was cognoscente. She did not blink, but she spoke in her autonomous voice again.

"I am analyzing the new data that is being transferred to this space. It all remains to be junk data, except for a specific data presence. New data that I cannot recognize has formed in this space. It is in close proximity."

"What is it?" I asked, suddenly becoming interested in the notion that there was some presence here that the alien next to me was not originally aware of. I always thought Nagato-san was always thinking ahead and calculating every possibility and outcome. Out of three extra-ordinary people I knew, she seemed the most knowledgeable. Koizumi just had some obscure theory to explain half the time…

"There are unknown errors. I cannot pinpoint its location. It is present in this space, and it is of a foreign origin. The specific data is unique. You may need to take some sort of precaution."

At the sound of that, I could do little but worry. If there was anything that could have scared me more in this situation, it was when something was beyond Nagato-san's alien knowledge.

Standing beside the light-haired human interface in the middle of this barren asphalt road, I could only hope that whatever was in this place with us was hopefully friendly.

But as with all things, the fact that I had hoped for such a thing will undoubtedly mean that I will only get an opposite outcome. I've always hated my accursed bad luck.


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm on a roll with this story so far.**** A new chapter has arrived. Enjoy!**

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I would have certainly been less fearful of what Nagato-san told me just this minute, if I was a human lucky enough to have some sort of strange power or ability. I would be much less afraid if I had suitable means to defend myself.

Now when I say this, I suggest you let your imagination run wild. Maybe I have some disease that causes me to turn into a monstrous beast-man whenever I get angry, or perhaps I'm a shape shifter who can mold his own body like clay. Or better yet, I could be a warrior from another planet, trained in ancient sword fighting arts…

But the truth was that I was none of these things. I never have been any of them, and I never will be. I remain to be an ordinary human surrounded by the extra-ordinary. I was an ordinary human who still can be subject to bodily harm, of course.

Now an ordinary human like me can't help but just worry when he's told that there could be a potentially hostile being nearby. Especially when he's trapped in a void of data space that he has no escape from in the first place. I almost have a feeling that Nagato-san doesn't actually understand the kind of danger I could be in.

"So there's something lurking around this junk space? Why are we here then? Aren't we just going to end up bothering whatever it is?" I said to Nagato-san, clearly nervous as I did so.

Can you blame me? I'd already had my fair share of near death experiences by now, thank you very much! I think I'd rather not have any more at the moment…

The light-haired alien did not respond to my question or react in any way at first. Her face had been plastered with the same expression that she always wore, as if she was like one of those china dolls that would be forced to forever sit on a musty shelf. The silence surrounding us was beginning to make me only more nervous…

"This unknown data could pose a threat to Suzumiya-san. It would be unwise not to take action against it." The alien answered, her voice cold and emotionless, and she made no attempt to move from her statue-like pose.

It's unknown data? Does that mean that Yuki wouldn't normally be able to decipher what it was? She called it unique before, but I'm getting the feeling that might mean it was truly something unfamiliar to her.

I don't understand any of this! Why can't she just let me go back to the relative safety of my bed so I can doze off and dream about Haruhi again? Why did I have to end up being the one who's now standing next to her in this barren data space?

Nagato-san, to my surprise, began to slowly walk forward. Her shoes made slight clapping steps on the asphalt ground underneath as she walked, and her pace was slow, but efficient. Something about the undulating colors in the sky was deeply contrasting with Yuki's thin form. I'm still surprised I haven't been blinded by the constant rush of color that has replaced the sky.

Damn it! There are still questions to be answered, and Nagato-san has not even attempted to give me the kind of explanation I want. Everything she's said has only pertained to whatever presence exists in this data space. If I didn't know any better, I might go so far to say that she was more curious than cautious about the fact that whatever was in this void with us could possibly kill me.

Before I could think for much longer, I heard the light clapping noises stop, and Nagato-san's voice came at me like a cold wind.

"I suggest you follow me. We may be able to then leave this space sooner than I have calculated."

Leave this crazy place? That sounds like a plan to me! Without much thought or hesitation, I ran up behind the stationary Yuki. The alien gave me her same expressionless, blank-faced look, before turning and continuing to walk forward at her slow pace again. She seemed to just want to follow wherever this almost never-ending asphalt road would eventually lead us to. I couldn't help but think that continuing to walk along this road might just be a useless thing to do….

Did I have any choice in following the alien being that was slowly walking away from me? The answer, of course, is no.

And so following Yuki is exactly what I did. With her being silent the entire time, save for the slight claps that would echo up whenever her shoes hit the ground, it was quite easy to remain almost invisible as I walked behind the light-haired alien.

What destination did she have in mind? Was there somewhere we needed to specifically go? I don't know. It's rare that I myself can answer the many questions that can't help but invade my wandering thoughts.

As we walked, I noticed that the landscape around us had ceased to change at all as we presumably covered more distance, even though it seemed like we were both actually moving along this stretch of asphalt road.

If I could describe the way Nagato-san walked, I would use the description of a "silent statue with the fluidity of an incorporeal spirit." I know it sounds like a little bit of a mouthful, but it's the best thing I could think of that would describe the light-haired aliens' locomotion.

Alright, I'm beginning to get bored. We're not actually moving from where we started! All this time we've been walking, and we haven't actually seen any sort of change in the surrounding environment that might signify we had actually displaced ourselves from the location we had started from.

"Nagato-san? Are we planning on actually getting anywhere?" I asked wearily, mostly because I had assumed that we might have been walking for at least fifteen minutes or so by now. It felt longer actually, but I wasn't in the mood to care about the actual numbers.

In response, I heard the alien answer me back, even though she continued walking at her slow and efficient pace.

"The unknown data is a short distance from our location. Constant locomotion is necessary for us to reach it before it possibly dissipates. Human stamina is capable enough to close the distance between our current location and the location of the unknown data particles. It is necessary we continue."

In all this time, I had almost forgotten the fact that Nagato-san had not actually given me a credible reason for bringing me to this junk data space. Out of boredom, I found myself watching the coruscating colors that moved back and forth in the sky, and I thought about what might be going through Yuki Nagato's head right now.

She was so much like a machine in so many ways. I had always questioned in the back of my head if Yuki actually had emotions or feelings, but something had always told me that she probably did. I can't imagine how well she could perform her duties as a human interface, being that she was specifically made to communicate with human beings, if she could not have a semblance of their way of thinking programmed into her alien mind.

As we continued to silently walk along, I found myself thinking about the Antichrist concept again. Koizumi's voice was ringing in my head like an annoying cell phone ringtone. It was beginning to become very unpleasant that I could consistently hear the exact sound and tone of his voice inside the depths of my thoughts.

Haruhi is always the one that causes all these things! If it weren't for her being a literal deity, I would not be in this situation with Nagato-san. I would not be walking behind her in this desolate space, where every step feels like it might be my last. My spine is crawling at the thought of some strange otherworldly beast leaping out at us, or more likely, at me. I wonder how long it would take Nagato-san to register the sound of my screams…

God, I think I'm beginning to just scare myself too much. The last thing I need is to wet my pants while we're still walking along. I'm not some big baby because I'm afraid of something Nagato-san just mentioned to me, am I?

Get a hold of yourself, Kyon! The last thing I need is to end up acting like a spineless idiot like Taniguchi. I completely refuse to be compared to such a moronic, self-deluded, stup-

Something had stopped me from my mental tirade, and that something had been Yuki Nagato's body, which had stopped in the middle of the asphalt road, and blocked my path as I literally bumped into her.

She had just stopped all of a sudden, causing me to rub the back of my head in both confusion and wonder. What happened to closing the distance so we could get to this unknown data? I never imagined Nagato-san would give up on something like this so easily.

But as I looked to see what was in front of her, I mentally slapped myself for thinking something so foolish as this alien actually giving up on finding the unique data she was obviously adamant about finding.

About some thirty feet away from us, I could clearly see what looked like a glowing orange orb, approximately the size of a basketball. It emitted a yellowish light that came around its spherical form like a bright halo, and the orb looked as if it was floating in mid-air, suspended by invisible wires of energy.

"The data. It is ahead of us. I am analyzing it. The packets are being downloaded into backup memory." Yuki stated like a computer system as I curiously walked in front of her. That was a bad move on my part.

As I walked closer to this strangely floating orb, I noticed something. Every time I began to get closer, it was beginning to move sporadically. I could see faint responses as it swished in the air back and forth, like a globe that was being spun on its axis. Behind me, I heard Yuki's voice again, but it sounded loud enough that she was trying to make some sort of point to me, even though I was only two feet or so in front of her.

"The data is changing rapidly. Proceed to back away from it before it becomes aware of your presence. It knows you are in the immediate vicinity."

I probably should have heeded Yuki's warning the moment I heard her say those specific words. Unfortunately, I did not back away immediately, and it was only then that I saw the orange orb begin to react differently than it had been before.

It snapped back in the air, with enough speed that it could possibly be gone from my sight in the blink of an eye. The orb bobbed in the air for a few more seconds, as if it was a lost beach ball caught in an unforgiving sea, and after that display, I watched it shoot horizontally like a cannonball.

And it was going straight for me. I just had to be dumb enough to walk in front of Yuki and get too close. And I'm usually the one who ends up telling everyone else how stupid and unreasonable they're acting. If they could just see me now….

After less than a second, the ball had just touched my chest when I watched it stop in mid-shot. It was struggling against an unseen force now, but it managed to push itself forward just enough so that it could touch the skin underneath my sleeping shirt with its fiery orange energy.

I don't know what this orb was, or why it wanted to touch me, but the sensation of it making contact with me was not a pleasant one. It felt like electricity was coursing through my body in violent sporadic bursts, and each of my five senses was going haywire in response.

The ball was pushing itself against me, as if it was trying to enter my body, but it couldn't go much farther than where it already was. I wanted to sensations to stop. They were beginning to make my head hurt, and I was feeling weaker and weaker by the second.

Finally, something managed to push against the orb with enough force that it went catapulting back a few feet from me. It was almost convulsing in mid-air like it actually had a semblance of life. I felt renewed strength come back to my body the moment that the orb had separated from me.

When I turned around, I could see that Yuki Nagato had put up on hand in a way that might have signified "stop". As I watched her like this, she slowly began to let her arm simply fall to her side.

Had she just stopped the orb from fully entering me? The logical answer would be yes, because I can see no other reason for Nagato-san to be displaying such a motion.

"The data is becoming self-aware. My analysis shows that it can absorb foreign data and enhance itself. It has become an imminent danger." Nagato-san said to me with no sense of fear or worry in her voice. I wasn't surprised.

When I turned back to the data orb, I felt my eyes widen at the sight that was now in front of me. Believe it or not, the orange orb was now expanding outwards like a gigantic ball of orange clay. It began to shift and form into an irregular shape, and I could see it growing taller and wider by the second. While the orb was remaining an energy form, the orange hue was now beginning to turn into a more blue color. As I watched limbs start forming on its body, I was looking up in awe at what was literally towering over me and Nagato-san.

It was one of the same blue giants that normally appeared in closed space. These giants destroyed buildings inside the spaces, and if they were allowed to simply continue with what they did, closed spaces would begin to dangerously expand. It was Koizumi's job as a member of the Agency to destroy these giants and prevent the expansion of closed space. I had always thought that these monstrosities only existed in such areas of closed space. But from what I could see standing over me at this moment, I had been apparently wrong.

The glowing blue skin of this giant didn't actually contrast all that much with the coruscating colors of the sky, but the creature was imposing nevertheless. What exactly was this strange data orb? Was it a trace of Asakura-san that might have survived Haruhi's total data eradication? She had exhibited these kinds of shape-shifting abilities…

There was obviously no time for questions. All I could see now was the giant arms of this blue monstrosity coming to bear down on me.

I can't help but admit that I had flinched at this like a scared child. Wouldn't you have done the exact same thing? I think it's quite hard to not flinch when you're about to be flattened by such a massive creature as the one that was standing over me.

But surprisingly, I did not feel an immediate pain that signified bodily harm, or a sensation that I had been crushed in some way.

Looking up in a little bit of fear, I saw that the giant was bashing its arms against the air. In fact, the air above me looked like it was deflecting the blows of this glowing blue monstrosity. Every hit was bouncing off like the air was made of some invisible rubber.

I looked behind me. Nagato-san was standing perfectly still, but she looked focused on the giant above us. I could only guess that she was the one who had saved my life yet another time.

"The data this being is comprised of is composed of mutable particles and is constantly changing. I cannot predict how long it will be until my sub-systems begin to fail against its adaptability." Yuki stated to me, while still deeply focusing on whatever field of invisible energy she was projecting that was stopping this massive giant from reaching us.

I gulped at the sound of Nagato-san's words. I didn't like the sound of adaptability the most. This most likely meant that whatever this thing was that was trying to kill us; it had a discernable edge over the alien currently protecting me. This was not good at all.

"How long until you can't keep holding it off?" I asked Yuki, still taking worried glances upwards to watch as the giant continued to assault against Yuki's invisible force field. Nagato-san did not change the focus of her stone-cold eyes, but she answered me clearly and precisely.

"It is changing. The data is shifting at a remarkable speed."

I worried instantly at the sound of this, turning to see what was happening in front of me. A much stranger sight than before greeted me. It was a sight that I had definitely not expected.

Where the towering giant had once been, there stood what looked like a male teenager dressed in a North High uniform. Upon closer inspection, I could see that he was none other than the Computer Society President, and he had a noticeably blank expression on his face as he walked towards us, obviously bypassing Yuki's force field as he walked forward with no restrictions of any sort.

I barely had any time to see that a large ball of glowing energy similar to the kind Koizumi could project was forming in his hand. I didn't even have any time to react as he threw it forward like a fiery baseball.

I knew that I would have been burnt to a crisp or disintegrated by that ball of energy coming towards me, if the alien behind me hadn't used her body as a shield. Sure enough, Yuki had literally put herself in front of me, taking the full brunt of the red energy that had come catapulting my way.

The blast had almost affected me, and it flung Yuki past me like she had been hit by a wrecking ball. I looked back; panic suddenly flooding into my mind.

"Nagato-san!" I yelled in worry, looking to see if there was some sign that she was alright. To my horror, she just continued to lay on the ground, motionless.

I turned back to face the shape shifter that had just caused this damage to Yuki, only to see that it had reverted to its original form. It was the glowing orange orb again, and I could see it convulsing and moving back and forth in excitement again. It was obviously excited about something. And I think that something was none other than me.

I ducked before even thinking about what I was doing. It was a smart move indeed, because the orange orb had gone speeding over my head. I guessed its intent was to try and touch me again as it did before. This was a crazy notion, but I almost had the feeling this thing had been feeding off me when it came into contact with my skin. Nevertheless, I brushed off these thoughts, and crawled a few inches to see what the situation with Nagato-san was.

When I reached her, I could see that she was now sitting up, a blank expression on her face as always. Something about this situation was reminding me of when she had first saved my life…

I heard a loud rumbling footstep nearby, and I turned to see that another towering giant was now striding towards us. I backed away on the ground like a scared fiddler crab, but Nagato-san remained still, looking up at the approaching blue giant with interest.

What the hell is she thinking?!? Does she want me to get killed?

My mind was racing faster than a runaway train, mostly because this giant was almost to the point where it could easily step on me and end my existence. I had no idea what this shape-shifting orb was, nor did I have any idea what it wanted with me. All I wanted right now was safety. All I wanted was to be somewhere my life wasn't in danger.

I took a deep breath as I watched the giant raise its foot over the both of us. Beside me, Nagato-san acted faster than I thought she would, and I felt a sensation on my forehead. She had touched me there with a single finger, and almost immediately, I saw nothing but a blinding white.

Almost a second or two after this white flash, my eyes seemed to just snap open like they had been shut with tight rubber bands. I have to say that things like this have been happening to me a lot recently, and it's becoming really annoying.

I easily guessed that I was in my room again, and I was right. I was in the safety of my bed, with no giant towering over me, and no Yuki Nagato standing next to me. I looked from side to side, foolishly thinking that Nagato-san would just be right next to my bedside or something. But I was wrong of course, and she was not anywhere to be found in my bedroom.

I groaned, almost a little angry that I had just been taken back to my room on such short notice. Granted, I didn't really want to be crushed by a glowing blue giant. My head was just filled with a millions questions right now. They were coming into my thoughts like a raging flood.

What was that orb? Where did Nagato-san go after sending me back to my room? Why did she have so much trouble defending herself against whatever that orb actually was?

And why the hell did she have to bring me to that data space in the first place?!?

I really wanted some sort of explanation. I sighed to myself, falling back in my bed. I should at least know one thing about the excursion into junk data space that I had just been through.

It was all related to Haruhi. Everything like this was always related to Haruhi. That will never cease to change, no matter how hard I try to deny the fact. I sighed once again, closing my eyes and hoping for the immediate comfort of sleep.

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**Just a as note, I'm taking a four day hiatus until the next chapter comes along. I have things to do, unfortunately. Sorry to keep you all waiting...**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the long wait, guys. I had some things I had to do, coupled with school and the use of a newly acquired grahpics tablet of mine. It gets hard to split up time for writing and drawing. But here's the next chapter for you all. Enjoy!**

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I hate mornings. And this is no regular kind of hate, I assure you. I really hate getting up in the horrible time of day known as the morning.

And it's not just school mornings, either. The very concept and idea of waking up early is something that I've dreaded for quite a long time. It's not something I enjoy, and it's certainly not something that I look forward to.

But nevertheless, I had no choice but to awaken to another day of school this morning. Just like every other one that came before it. I groaned as I rubbed my forehead, sitting up on my bed.

"Kyon-kun!" a voice loudly yelled at me from down the hallway. Part of me just felt like burying my head into the comfort and safety of my pillow, but that would only provide a temporary solace from what was already on a marathon sprint towards my room.

The tiny figure of my little sister burst into my room like a baby rhinoceros, despite the fact this little girl shouldn't be able to put out so much force when she swung open the door to my room. The smile on her face seemed more fit for someone who had chugged down one too many of those awful energy drinks. It was unnatural, at least to me.

"It's time to wake up! Sleep time is over!" she chimed at me, her hair somewhat of a mess, and a tiny pink toothbrush in one of her little hands. With anyone else, my little sister could easily have captured them in her ensnaring act, blinding them with her utter cuteness. But I was already too used to this on everyday basis to be so easily persuaded by it, so it developed into an annoyance.

I didn't even get to say a word to my little sister, and already she was running out of my room, her tiny feet making a lot of noise as she ran down the hallway with the finesse of a crashing airplane.

I sighed. After high school is finally over, I really think that there are definitely some things about mornings that I definitely won't miss one bit.

Somehow, I have yet again managed to avoid Taniguchi. It's kind of strange actually. I haven't been seeing him as much as I used to in the morning. Usually, he would search me out on my usual hiking root, and I would more or less be forced to talk to him as I walked to school.

Was I missing this? No. I don't think so.

Another day was still ahead of me as I got comfy in my usual seat right in front of Suzumiya-san. Today was actually a Friday, so perhaps I might have the chance to just sleep in tomorrow. I won't have to deal with the infernal morning on a Saturday. That's a relief.

My mind suddenly flashing at the thought of Haruhi, I turned to see what my girlfriend might be doing in the seat behind me. I held in a sigh as I found Suzumiya-san in a predictable fashion.

She clearly had her head buried in the safety of her arms, and her brown hair was a mess. Did I also mention that Suzumiya-san looked like she let her clothes get all super-wrinkled before putting them on? She looked like a complete wreck.

"Haruhi?" I said in a low voice, taking the time to slightly poke the disgruntled looking Suzumiya-san. She didn't react to my voice or the fact that I was poking her. If I didn't know any better, she could have just been dead right now.

Although the mere thought was frightening, I could hear the light sound of Suzumiya-san breathing, so it was safe to say that she was probably just extremely tired. Perhaps she didn't get enough sleep last night. God knows she might have just been reading those weird books of hers all night long. I can completely imagine her doing something like that….

I chuckled slightly at the mere thought of Suzumiya-san reading a book underneath her covers, a flashlight in one hand, but my attention turned back towards the fact that she still was out of it. I was disappointed, mostly because I guess that I just wanted to talk to her like I do every morning.

The day was inexhaustibly slow, for whatever reason. I've always hated any slow and agonizingly boring days. When I look back at my life before I met Suzumiya-san, I really can't help but wonder how I could have lived so easily through the daily boredom that had once plagued me.

So after my last class had ended for the day, it was safe to say that my usual trek to the club room was more than a saving grace. I had been wondering what Haruhi might have planned for the club recently, mostly because of the fact that we haven't done so much of anything since we took that island camping trip some weeks ago. Believe it or not, I was almost starting to get bored in the clubroom. There was nothing to do besides play chess against Koizumi.

Now come on. Wouldn't you be bored when you're playing against someone as bad as Koizumi in board games? Not that I'm complaining about the fact that I massacre him in board games of all types or anything. I'm just beginning to get bored of the constant winning.

So as I walked to the clubroom, my mind began to once again stick itself to various topics that had been brought to my attention these last few days.

Like a light being clicked on, I instantly remembered the events of the previous night. They replayed themselves in my head like a an old roll of film, but every detail was as clear as a piece of fine crystal.

There was that orange orb that had shown a semblance of life. Nagato-san had taken me to what she called a junk data space, and we had encountered this strange ball of energy. For some reason, it had taken an interest in me. I had gotten too close, and the ball had managed to come in contact with me. Whatever it was doing to me, it felt like my strength was being sucked out of my body with every passing moment that this orb touched me.

Luckily, Nagato-san managed to keep it away from me, but our lives became at risk when we watched it shape-change before our very eyes. It went from the form of one of those giants that are found wreaking havoc in closed space, to the form of the President of The Computer Research Society.

If Nagato-san hadn't touched me in the forehead and brought me back to my room, I would have just been a dark red stain underneath a blue giants' foot. The very thought did not cease to chill me to the bone. Being crushed would certainly not have been my ideal death.

And so after this long stream of thoughts and memories, I spotted the clubroom down the hall. Usually, it might be hard for anyone to see a door from the view I was looking from, but there was something else that signified that the clubroom was nearby.

Three things actually. Three people, if you want to get exact. And they were all standing in front of the clubroom.

As I approached, I could in fact clearly see three people standing in front of the clubroom, as if waiting for something. They were none other than Haruhi, Nagato-san and a shy-looking Mikuru-chan. I initially wondered what might be keeping them. Was there something wrong?

Haruhi had a sour expression on her face, her arms crossed as she tapped her foot impatiently. Nagato-san seemed content reading her novel, a blank look pasted on her face as she turned each page with alien efficiency. Asahina-san looked somewhat out of place without one of her cosplay outfits on, but I initially guessed that she might be a little relieved not to have to be wearing any of them.

It seemed no one had realized I was approaching. Where was Koizumi? I always wonder why he's just gone some days. He's an esper, and he obviously had duty to his Agency, but I still can't help but wonder….especially concerning the events that occurred the other night, and what he had been mentioning to me some time before.

What am I saying? For all the things I might not like about Koizumi, he would be the last person in the world to want to commit such treachery against us, and against Suzumiya-san. Surprisingly, I can't help but consider him a friend…

"Kyon!" a voice loudly yelled at me, breaking my debating thoughts about what Koizumi's allegiance might be. I blinked, registering that the voice had obviously come from Suzumiya-san, who had her arms crossed and a serious look in her piercing amber eyes.

What was this about? I don't remember doing anything wrong this time around. Maybe Haruhi was just in a bad mood from lack of sleep. She was a real mess earlier this day…

"You kept us waiting forever! Do you know how long we've been standing here? You should have gotten your lazy ass here faster! Because of you, we've been locked out of the clubroom all this time!"

I groaned internally at the sound of Haruhi's voice. It signified she was not only pissed, but annoyed and discontent as well. Coupled with her possibly tired state, this definitely spelled nothing less of disaster. At any moment, Haruhi could become pissed enough to just end the universe. I gulped in nervousness, but responded to Haruhi nevertheless. I was slightly confused right now.

"What? I didn't make it so you were lo-"

I was about to finish my sentence, but a tiny jingling sound emanated from one of my pockets. I could not help but sigh to myself, finally realizing that I had been the one who had been in possession of the clubroom key this entire time. I had rushed out and stuffed it into my pocket when Suzumiya-san had commanded me to lock up the other day.

Suzumiya-san's face showed obvious disapproval towards me, and I couldn't help but feel small when I was subject to her penetrating glare. It didn't matter what you might have done to piss Suzumiya-san off, because she somehow was able to make you feel bad about it either way. And it was only worse when she's actually right about such things.

Slowly, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the single key that was attached to a small silver key ring. It put out in front of me, and watched as Suzumiya-san snatched it as fast as someone might snatch a falling gold coin. She still looked disappointed at me, like I was some cow that had failed to give its farmer any good-tasting milk.

"Sorry. I guess I forgot about the key."

"Sorry doesn't help the situation! Just be glad you're not getting any penalty for this, Kyon!" Haruhi exclaimed to me, her hand already nearing the door, with the key in its grip.

I can only wonder how much worse she was to me when I wasn't a boyfriend to her. Wait a second. I can in fact remember well. In fact, I can remember it way too well.

As I watched Haruhi begin to turn the key that would lead to the clubroom door opening, I couldn't help but glance at Nagato-san. As per usual, she made no attempt to communicate with anyone. To this alien, a book was the most interesting thing in the world. For a human interface, Nagato-san seemed to neglect a little in any actual interfacing with humans.

I thought about asking her if she could explain what that orb might be, but something was telling me not to do so. Suzumiya-san was present with us and able to hear what we might be saying, so it would have been a bad idea any way.

Mikuru-chan seemed silent as well, giving me a small smile when I glanced at her. If I didn't know better, she could have almost seemed uncomfortable without her maid outfit on. She had always looked like a shy helpless girl from a distance, but perhaps she just felt better in her maid outfit. It's just sad that she still has to be force-changed by Suzumiya-san.

What am I saying? I have no right to speak about such a thing, because I do absolutely nothing to prevent it. I sighed.

"This is a waste of time. I'm not in the mood for a meeting anyway." Haruhi said next to me, her expression becoming indifferent as she ceased to continue with unlocking the door. Her hands were at her hips, and the single key remained between two of her delicate fingers.

"You can all just go home."

I would be lying if I said that I wasn't getting all worried about what kind of state of mind Suzumiya-san was in right now. So far, she seemed like she was both angry and melancholic, and I knew that such a mixture could only spell doom for all of us.

"Are you sure, Suzumiya-san? We could still do something today…" Asahina-san said to the discontent Brigade Chief, her voice full of enough innocence to make a drill officer bawl in tears.

"I'm sure. Now just go. You're all wasting more time by just standing here." Haruhi retorted back, without even taking the time to look at Asahina-san. Our Brigade Chief's eyes were more interested in angrily staring at the door in front of her.

Without a word, I watched Nagato-san close her book, and turn around. She slowly was walking away from us, and I could easily that the opportunity for me to ask her anything was long gone. The alien had just left us like some sort of lithe ghost.

"Feel better, Suzumiya-san." Mikuru-chan said to our still discontent Brigade Chief, before waving at me as she walked down the same hallway that Nagato-san had gone. Her smiling face and cute demeanor was deeply contrasting with Suzumiya-san's more stone-faced attitude.

I looked back at our Brigade Chief. She was still staring at the clubroom door like it was some enemy, and part of me was just waiting for her to punch it or something. But nevertheless, I didn't like seeing Suzumiya-san like this. A few months ago, I would have reveled in a free Friday such as this one. I would have been out of this school in a heart beat upon hearing there would be no club meeting today. My mind would have been wandering on anything else besides Suzumiya-san as I might be happily walking home…

But I did not want to leave Haruhi. In fact, I wanted to do the opposite. I slowly put a hand on Suzumiya-san's shoulder, speaking loudly and clearly so she would have no excuse not to hear me.

"You seem like a mess today."

"I'm fine, Kyon. It's just another boring day. Boring days are never any fun."

I should expect such responses from Haruhi. But this was not something that made me feel better. If there was something that I didn't need, it was most certainly Suzumiya-san feeling melancholic. I needed to make her feel better, and I needed to do it now.

"How about a movie?" I said nonchalantly, with a smile on my face as I did so. Haruhi turned fast to face me, just as I expected. Her face showed signs of confusion, surprise, or just lack of emotion at all. It was hard to tell which, because her expression was still rapidly changing as she answered me.

"A movie? What kind of movie?"

I smiled, mostly because I was glad to finally have Suzumiya-sans' attention. I took her by the hand, with all intent to make her feel at least a little less melancholic in these next few hours.

The movie was a good idea, because I knew that if it was something strange or bizarre playing on that giant screen, it wouldn't help but catch Suzumiya-sans' interest, and deliver her from the more melancholic state she had been in.

And that something was an old classic that the theater we had gone to happened to be playing today. Something told me it was perhaps Suzumiya-san's godlike doing, but I didn't complain about our luck nonetheless.

"Get a large popcorn for us! And sodas too! I'll go get the seats!" Haruhi commanded to me as I stood in the line for refreshments. I could see the wandering eyes of people around us already focusing on me, and it was unnerving to say the least. Suzumiya-san literally flashed her ticket to the usher that stood in front of the various showrooms, before running into the door that led to where our movie was being shown.

Figures she'd leave me to do all the grunt work. I don't mind it so much. It's not too bad being Haruhi's boyfriend, I guess….

After getting our two large sodas and the specifically large popcorn that Haruhi had asked for, I found myself struggling to hold it all as I walked into the vicinity of our showroom.

What movie did we come to see? None other than a classic movie. Godzilla. The original 1954 movie.

Now when I say classic, that just means it was well-liked by many. I didn't necessarily like it too much, but I didn't hate it either. I just was indifferent to the whole giant monster movie genre.

"It's starting! Hurry it up with those refreshments, Kyon!" Haruhi said from her seat, a determined and excited gleam present in her amber eyes. It was easy to tell she was going to enjoy herself. I was not surprised to see that the entire showroom was completely empty, save for myself and Haruhi. Guess we have our privacy if we need it…

Ugh, that's not why I'm here. I'm here to make Suzumiya-san feel better, not to make-out with her. But…making out with her might make her feel better…

I got to stop thinking like that. It's beyond distracting.

As I walk towards where Haruhi is sitting, I can feel something brewing inside me. It's the telltale sign that I have to go use the little boys room, and it means that I'll probably miss all the previews. But from the sudden sensation I'm feeling, it seems like I really need to go, and watching previews are more or less unimportant.

"I'll be right back." I said to Suzumiya-san, who practically ignored me as she took the sodas and popcorn from my grasp. I could already tell she was going to clearly enjoy herself without me. I just needed to get to the bathroom as soon as possible.

Running into the nearby restroom, I sighed in relief as I began to unzip my pants. Unfortunately, a familiar voice caught my attention before I could get any further.

"Kyon." It said, and I felt a hand rest on my shoulder. Before I knew what was going on, everything around me felt like it was moving with the speed of a top. Even as I attempted to zip my pants up, I couldn't help but feel confused at the sudden change in my surroundings.

Where there had once been porcelain and tile, there was now what looked like a dilapidated city, and a clearly gray hue had completely overtaken it. The sky was an ashen color, like it had been painted with various gray paint colors. I didn't have to be a genius to figure out I was in closed space.

"Sorry for bringing you here on such short notice. There is something you need to see." The voice said again, and upon turning to face the speaker, I saw none other than Koizumi. He had a serious look on his face, his hands in his pockets. From what I could see around us, it seemed that we were on the roof of a tall building.

"What's going on?" I asked, confused out of my mind. First Nagato-san bringing me to the junk data space, now this? Does everyone just have the urge to just zap me places without my permission?

"Your answer is some feet away from us, destroying anything in its vicinity." Koizumi answered, and I turned to see what he was talking about.

The sight I was faced with could put anyone in awe. About four hundred feet from where we were standing, a towering giant was destroying nearby buildings that made up this ghost town of a city. It had anger in every destructive blow, and its skin glowed bright. It wasn't the usual color of these giants that existed in closed space. It was orange, instead of blue.

Without a doubt, I could tell that this meant trouble. I looked at Koizumi, but his expression remained the same. I just sighed as always.

Sometimes, I actually do happen to wish I was normal. Everything might be easier if my life was just a little more boring…


	6. Chapter 6

**Here's the next chapter. Sorry for any discrepencies in the uploading of data. Final examinations are near, and I must unfortunately contribute time to studying. **

**Enjoy this next chapter!**

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It's really a marvel to experience the amount of thoughts that can possibly go through someone's head all at the same time. And I am no exception when it comes to thinking of every little thing that could possibly go wrong at any moment.

Would you blame me if you were in my position? Would you blame me if you personally knew an esper, a time traveler and an alien? Would you blame me if you knew that your girlfriend could just wipe the universe from the face of reality without second thought, all because she got a little bored one day?

That's right. I thought so. I know none of you could possibly compare to the utter complexities of my life. Absolutely none of you!

Getting back to reality and out of my inner monologue, I find myself in yet another situation that does not seem so different from the one I was in with Nagato-san just the other day. Koizumi had mysteriously and suddenly transported me to closed space, before I could even use the bathroom like I had originally intended.

While standing on this building, I realized that my fly had been open this entire time, and that my bladder was still screaming at me to relieve it. Ignoring my body yelling at me, I zipped it up in panic, because the last thing I needed was for Koizumi to be smiling at that.

I turned around, almost afraid that I might see Itsuki's eyes gleam with hunger or something. I've always found him a little creepy, but maybe I was being a little overdramatic when my mind glossed over the possibility that he might like guys a little too much…

Gah, I'm going to scare myself to death at this rate! Back to the situation at hand!

Much to my relief, Koizumi was standing just a few feet away from me, his hands in his pockets as he watched the gargantuan orange giant in the distance. There was no plastic smile on his face, and he in fact looked a little more serious than usual. Koizumi did not even attempt to move from his position, and he was watching the giant destroy the surrounding buildings like a little kid watching a cartoon on television.

I'm still confused? Why the hell am I here again? Wait….what's Haruhi going to do when she notices I haven't come back from the bathroom? If she thinks I ditched her…

Okay, this is going to cause me enough anxiety to kill me. I need some answers, and I need them now!

With all honesty, I walked towards the still silent Koizumi was not even the slightest hint of brashness or courage. I could have possibly been a little frightened at the fact that the giant was actually not that far away from the building we were on, but I think the only reason I might be wetting my pants right now is because my bladder was ready to explode.

"So I'm guessing you know something about the giant over there?" I said to Koizumi, although with impatience in my voice. My bladder hurt like hell. I don't know how long I'll be able to last.

"Possibly. I can at least infer what it might be."

Oh, great answer, esper boy! I'd like an explanation faster so I can get myself to a goddamn bathroom before I explode! Don't you get that? Of course you don't. You didn't take the time to realize that by taking me away from a bathroom, you might be taking me away when I was actually planning to relieve myself. Why do I even bother? Koizumi doesn't ever think about these things…

"Infer? What did you infer?"

For the sake of all that is good, I really hope that Koizumi gives me a direct answer. Just this once…

Just as I expected, the esper boy turned to face me, smiling with the same plastic, unadulterated smile that he usually liked to show. His voice sounded almost annoyingly carefree as he spoke to me, and I could not help but sigh internally, even with my bladder ready to explode with the force of an ignited gas tank.

"A lot of this is based on assumptions. The Agency has trouble understanding what this new being is, and the same goes for even human interfaces such as Nagato-san. I can't be too sure what the people that Asahina-san works under think of all this, but I can assume that they probably know just as much as we do."

"And that is?" I asked the esper boy, still impatient as I glanced to look at the orange glowing giant in the distance again.

It brought down a massive arm on another tall gray building, and we could both hear metal and concrete break apart as the tall structure came crashing down from the blow. It amazes me that the only sounds these giants ever really produce are the sounds of destruction.

"For one thing, it's certainly not one of the giants. In fact, my colleagues and I observed it as an orange orb of sorts, when we first encountered it upon entering this space. Before any of us could get a closer look, it shape-shifted into the form of one of the giants. It was the only giant in this area of closed space at all. That's strange, actually. There are almost always more than one of them in a space…" the esper boy commented, one of his hands rubbing his chin as he contemplated over what he had just said.

When Koizumi was having trouble figuring something out, I automatically knew that spelled trouble. It was bad enough that Nagato-san was having problems with deciphering what that orb was, but when Itsuki Koizumi didn't know much about it, I could not help but begin to get nervous.

I glanced back at the still thrashing giant. Now that Koizumi had pointed out that it was originally the orange orb, I knew that I would have to be a complete idiot to think that it wasn't the same orb that Nagato-san and I encountered when we were in that junk data space. What the hell is this thing? What does it want? God, I don't like the sound of any of this already…

"So it's not one of the giants? What is it then?

Koizumi looked back at me; his were eyes serious even though there was somehow a smile on his face. I find it amazing that this guy can smile at the worst possible times.

"It seems to be some sort of entity that neither I, Nagato-san, nor Asahina-san has ever encountered before. Nagato-san specifically mentioned to me that it had traces of data that could lead it to be a humanoid interface. While we've been observing it, my colleagues and I have noticed that it has portions of our abilities as espers. We witnessed it take on the same energy forms that we can also transmute our bodies into. It's quite intriguing actually."

Intriguing? You think all this insanity is intriguing!?! Damn it! I still got to use the bathroom! I'm dying here, you stupid esper!

"I know this is neither the place nor time, but is there a bathroom somewhere around here? I'm kind of having trouble holding it in…" I said quickly, finally realizing that my limit was close to reaching its breaking point. My bladder was hurting a lot by now.

Koizumi raised an eyebrow, and the infernal smile did not leave his face. I could swear to you that I was this close to just punching him right in the nose. Normally, I would have been able to withstand the effects of his smile. Right now, it was really pissing me off.

"A restroom? There's one right behind you. I forget why this building has one specifically on the roof." Koizumi told me, pointing to something behind me.

And to my complete surprise, I turned to see a large shed-like structure coming up off the roof of this tall building. It looked like a place where someone might have stored a lawnmower and garden tools, but there was clearly a sign that showed the simply drawn symbol of a man.

It was like the gods had just smiled down upon me today. Or maybe Suzumiya-san was somehow indirectly being merciful to me. I didn't care. I ran towards that restroom.

After a few heavenly minutes of being able to relieve myself of the constant bladder pain, I walked out of the single-person bathroom as a new man. Every fiber in my body felt like a knot had been untied in it, and I took a big breath of air, reveling in the fact that I wasn't on the verge of wetting my pants.

It was about now that I think I truly realized the severity of the situation. The giant was nearly finished destroying the buildings around it. From what I could see, it had pulverized anything that might have resembled a man-made structure. And all this, without a doubt, was Suzumiya-san's fault.

That girl is going to probably rip my in half once she finds out that I suddenly disappeared. If there's one thing I've learned during my high school life so far, it's to never be dumb enough to piss Haruhi off. She can persuade, hurt and blackmail until you're on your knees and bowing down to her like she was the queen of the entire world.

"This being is quite peculiar. I've never seen something that exhibits all the qualities that Suzumiya-san herself has constantly said she is searching for. This is very peculiar indeed…." Koizumi commented as I stood next to him, and the both of us just continued to watch as the orange giant finished off the last building, smashing down on it through its roof.

Now that the esper mentioned it, it is really a wonder how this thing seems to just fit in all the quotas that Haruhi herself has mentioned many times. It's like it has been tailored especially for her needs. Shouldn't I be scared about realizing all of this? I guess fear has taken a back seat since the day I met Haruhi. What a surprise…

"Ah, some of my colleagues are going to take care of it. This should be relatively quick."

I moved a bit closer in response to Koizumi's statement, mostly because I wanted to see exactly what was going to happen to this orange giant.

After a few seconds of it standing there, it turned in response to a flurry of giant red orbs of energy that were speeding at it like cannonballs. The orbs began to circle the giant, and I was already waiting for the massive behemoth to start getting sliced apart when one of Koizumi's colleagues managed to get close enough.

The giant waved its massive arms, as if trying to swat away bothersome flies. It surprisingly moved forward without giving any of the espers attention, and as I watched the first esper ball hit its glowing orange skin, I nearly gasped when I saw that it seemingly had no effect.

I don't think I was seeing things. The espers balls continued to assault the orange giant, but it continued to move forward, and their blows were doing nothing to stop its lumbering approach. I looked to see how Koizumi was reacting, and to my astonishment, his hands were out of his pockets, and he looked very surprised.

"What? They're not even doing any damage to it."

For once, Koizumi sounds generally worried. And when he ends up getting worried, I can't help but say that I end up getting worried as well.

Why am I worried, you ask? Well, I think that's because of the fact that the large towering giant is only twenty feet away from our location. How about we scratch the part where I stated that I'm worried or afraid. I'm not really afraid. I'm terrified.

"Your friends are useless." I said under my breath, even though I had originally intended for Koizumi to hear that statement. I found myself now looking up, and then beginning to back away. The giant in front of me was a massive sight, mostly because it was able to look down upon us from high above, even though we were both standing on the roof of a twelve or so story building.

My eyes widened at the sight of this behemoth. Its glowing orange skin was piercing to the eyes, but it was hard to pull one's gaze away from its awesome scale. The red orbs around it continued to bounce against its skin like pigeons against a window, but they still didn't have any effect on it. I sighed to myself as I watched it begin to reach for us.

Its hand didn't get close enough to touch me, because a burst of red energy hit it with enough force to knock over a tractor trailer. While the hand did not look like it had been physically damaged by the blow, the red burst had caused the giant to recoil.

I turned, and Koizumi stood there with one hand already radiating more of this red hot energy. He looked like some sort of hero from one of those science fiction novels that I seldom read anymore. He continued to charge up his special attack, while his enemy waited for him to strike again.

The only problem was that his enemy did not intend to wait for him to strike again. In fact, his enemy was looking very pissed, especially when I could see it raising its arm up, with all intent to bring it down.

Everything seemed to go by faster than I could register. The giants arm had come down on the far side of the building, making a deafening noise as half the structure collapsed against the impact of the glowing orange fist that had smashed through metal, glass and concrete alike.

I had instinctively rolled away from the side where the building had been collapsing, but it wasn't enough to stop me from slipping as a larger part of the roof began to break apart. Before I knew it, I was falling backwards, my hands reaching out as I tried to grab hold of anything to break my fall. Unfortunately, my grasping hands were only greeted by air, and I was already beginning to realize that I was doomed to be a splattered mess on the ground far below.

As my life seemed to once again flash before my eyes, I felt someone roughly grab my hand, and effectively stop me from falling any further. I looked up, and I could see a serious-looking Koizumi, and he was holding onto my hand tightly.

I think in any other situation, I would add how creepy it was to have him holding me by the hand. But due to the fact that he was preventing my death right now, I kept my thoughts quiet.

"I think it's time for us to leave this space." Koizumi said as he continued to hold onto my hand, even though I could feel my fingers beginning to slip through his. Behind him, the giant was already raising another gigantic orange fist, and it was pathetic to see that Koizumi's esper colleagues were still failing to do any damage to this massive being.

"You think?" I stated, and Koizumi somehow found the urge to smile. The sky did not begin to crack as I thought it would, as that's how closed space usually dissipates. Instead, I was blinded for a few seconds, and the sensation was very similar to the one that I had experienced with Nagato-san. My head went spinning, and part of me wondered if we just got flattened by the giant, and I was now crossing over the afterlife right now.

But I was not dead yet, as I found myself regaining my vision in the next few seconds. I finally could see again, and what I saw was nothing less of tile and porcelain. I was sitting on the floor of the very same bathroom that Koizumi had taken me out of in the first place, and the esper boy was standing next to me now.

"Why didn't you just do that in the first place?" I stated to Koizumi as I stood up, scratching the back of my head in confusion.

"The point of bringing you in the first place was so you could witness what this being was. I'm surprised how much more we've learned, however. My abilities barely affect it, and the abilities of my colleagues have close to no effect." The esper responded, his hands going into his pockets again.

Close to no effect? That's surely an understatement. And I already had a first hand account with this orange orb thing, and it I nearly got killed that time too! What are all these crazy people thinking? Don't any of them realize yet that I don't have any special powers to protect myself with?

"How long were we in there?" I asked, because I had realized that by being in the real world again, I was now subject to Haruhi's physical wrath. One that I had surely incurred if she found out I had ditched her during the movie.

"I can't really know. Time in closed space is sporadic. We could have been gone for two minutes, or we could have been gone for two days. It all depends."

I didn't like Koizumi's response one bit. I gulped in fear.

"I should be departing now. Make sure you keep Suzumiya-san satiated. The last thing we need is a potential apocalypse on top of this new threat that we may very well be facing."

With those words, I watched the esper boy swiftly leave the theater bathroom. He left me standing there, and I contemplated on what he said for a few seconds. Another threat? How much worse can it get? Gah, life is never easy for me….

Either way, I found myself nearly running out of the bathroom, and praying that it had only been two minutes in the real world compared to the time I had been in that area of closed space. If I had been gone for two days…

I don't want to think about it. I'd like to keep my head where it is, I think…

Running into the theater, I entered to the sound of the ending credits playing. Apparently Godzilla had just finished, and Haruhi had almost automatically turned to face me once I stepped foot in the showroom.

"Kyon!!!! Where were you? You missed the whole movie!"

You know, that was certainly a better response than the one I had imagined I was going to get. Even though Haruhi sounded a lot more pissed than usual, I think I was in luck this time. It seemed like I had only been gone for a few hours, and not a few days. Still, the expression on Suzumiya-san's face made it look like she was annoyed and probably extremely mad at me, and she strode towards me with determination and seriousness in her large amber eyes. I would be lying if I said I didn't fear for my life right now.

"I did? I guess I got caught up in the bathroom…" I said nervously, mostly because I was unable to come up with a better answer. Haruhi looked into my eyes, before barking out something right in my face, with enough loudness in her voice to drone out the sound of a plane taking off.

"Penalty!"

I couldn't help but groan at her statement. Without even thinking, I moved my face forward, and we had both locked lips before she could even say another word. We kissed for a few seconds, and I knew that perhaps I might actually have something over Haruhi this time around. No, I think I did this in hope of possibly getting Suzumiya-san to forget about the whole thing. By missing the entire movie, I probably incited her wrath more than I could possibly imagine. Somehow, I think I'd prefer suffering later rather than now. Soon enough, I pulled away from Suzumiya-san, hoping to dear God that perhaps that kiss might have satiated her anger.

"You can give me a penalty for that, Haruhi. It's not like you're going to actually pay for wherever we got to eat next anyway." I managed to say nonchalantly, even though there was a sly smile on my face.

Suzumiya-san looked at a loss for words, and I guess it was nice to know that she might actually have been stumped for once. I screamed in joy, but only in the sanctity of my thoughts.

"Whatever. Let's just go. I'm tired and hungry!" Suzumiya-san told me, before striding past me whilst grabbing my hand at the same time. Soon, I was being dragged along again.

Wow. I got really lucky this time. I didn't get massacred by Suzumiya-san. I guess I should count myself lucky. Really lucky.

Somehow, all of this was actually really enjoyable. I don't know if it's because of all the near death experiences I've been having recently, but I could swear to you that all this time I've been spending with Haruhi is almost making me forget about the business with this orange orb.

I think if I pondered on it, I might just realize that I'm probably just as crazy as she is. If I ever marry this girl, and if I'm ever insane enough to have children with her, I can only wonder how they'll turn out. That will definitely be something I'd like to see….


	7. Chapter 7

**Here we go! A new chapter for all of you! Hope I get some people to chuckle/laugh while reading this one. If so, it made my day. Enjoy. :)**

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It's a wonder how I'm not really noticing that Haruhi did not physically beat me like I originally thought she would. Now that I think about it, I realize that I had left Suzumiya-san in that movie theatre, by herself, for however long the movie took to finish. I effectively ditched her when I decided to go to the bathroom, even though it wasn't originally my fault in the first place.

Damn Koizumi! He just had to find the will to snatch me out of the real world at that specific time, didn't he?

This seems like the time for another one of my usual sighs. In a perfect world, Koizumi might have found the urge to pluck me out of the real world and bring me into closed space at some other moment. He could have done while I was sleeping, or maybe when I was in the middle of another deathly boring class. But of course, any world that Suzumiya-san had a part in creating will always remain far from perfect.

It is now that I'm being pulled along by the hand, by none other than the same all-powerful girl that I ended up leaving in the move theater just before. Suzumiya-san has not spoken to me once since we left the vicinity of the theater, and I can't help but begin to imagine the things probably going through her head right now.

For all I know, she could be plotting my very downfall. First, she'll seduce me and make me think everything is alright. I won't even know what hit me…

What would be the murder weapon? Would she strangle me with her Ultra Chief armband? Will she bash my head into the clubroom computer screen over and over and over again? Will she just throw me out the window? God! I can't live in this much fear!

Wait a second. I need to get a hold of myself. Suzumiya-san deciding to kill me? What kind of idiotic thought is that? If there's anything I should be sure of, it's that no matter what the circumstances, no matter what I do, Haruhi must care about me enough never to consider ending my life. I know she does.

Another frightening thought entered my mind. It was one that involved me finally telling Suzumiya-san that I was fed up with her, and I never ever wanted to see her or be a part of her idiotic SOS Brigade ever again. Days later, I wind up in the obituaries, having been killed via strangulation. A red armband with the words, "Ultra Director. No one will ever cross me again!" on it, was the cause of my death.

I gulped. Let's just forget about all of that for the time being.

And so, the night is already falling like a blanket over the sky, much faster than I had expected, in fact. Suzumiya-san is content with dragging me along like I'm just a little kid's red wagon, but I guess it would be unwise to struggle against her powerful grip. Sometimes, I feel more like an action figure than a boyfriend to her. An action figure she can forcibly kiss whenever she wants, of course.

"So, do you mind if I ask where we're going?" I said to Suzumiya-san as she continued to forcibly pull me along, and I could see nothing of her face. I only got a full view of her chestnut brown hair that slightly bounced as she walked along at a determined pace.

"We're going to eat, that's where!"

That is most certainly a typical Haruhi answer. Straight to the point, with none of those cut off corners. Sighing would be redundant right now. The only option left is to just let her bring me wherever she intends to bring me.

Apparently, that destination is far from here. It's not long till we're winding through the streets again; bringing attention to ourselves, mostly because of the way Suzumiya-san continues to just drag me along.

I can't help but hear the multiple things people are saying around us such as "Awww…how cute." and even a few "Wow. She sure looks like the man in that relationship." I would be lying if I said that these various comments were not annoying the hell out of me.

But some of them are right. I should shamelessly admit to myself now that Haruhi is, in fact, the man in our relationship. Or at least she's the instigator, intimidator, and generally bossy Brigade Chief. I should just admit it before I find myself groveling in tormented embarrassment.

After some time of us walking, something pops into my head that I find I would like to say. It's mostly considering the fact that part of me continues to imagine my eventual end by Haruhi's hands. It's hard to get such scary thoughts out of ones head.

"Um Haruhi….I'm kind of surprised, I have to say."

In response to my declaration, Suzumiya-san turned around to face me, as if I had said something traitorous to her.

"Surprised at what?" she asked me, except with a tone that obviously pointed out dissension in her voice. The streetlight nearby was severely complimenting her natural looks, but something about it was kind of making her look almost demonic as well. Maybe it's just my imagination. Yeah, definitely my imagination.

"Well…." I began, nervously rubbing the back of my head. Suzumiya-san had let go of my hand by this point, but I still could not find the urge to exactly tell her what I wanted to tell her. For all I know, it would be stupid to point such a thing out. But in the event that I didn't end up saying anything, it would just invariably haunt me for the rest of my days. I sighed heavily and loudly before I said my statement.

"I just expected that you'd be angrier than ever after finding out that I spent that whole movie in the bathroom. I mean, I figured you'd be really pissed. Maybe it's clearly my imagination then, and I have nothing to worry about."

I guess something inside me had been unwound from a tight knot after saying those words. It was as if the anxiety of having to think about Suzumiya-san being super angry at me had just gone with the wind, and it was certainly a very pleasant feeling.

"Oh. Don't worry about that, Kyon…" Suzumiya-san said in a soft, almost cute voice, and to my surprise, her face was now only inches away from mine. She had a seductive smile on her lips, and it could do nothing besides make my heart melt like micro-waved butter.

"You should be way more than worried, you moron! You're lucky I didn't rip your head off for leaving me there! How dare you try some kind of idiot stunt like that! Especially to your Brigade Chief, of all people! I'm going to give you the maximum penalty I can possibly give! You'll be begging for mercy by the time I'm finished with you!"

Haruhi's voice had come out with the kind of loudness that would come out of the trunk of a male alpha elephant, and it had every hint of anger that she could possibly show. If Suzumiya-san's eyes were lighting up with an intense heat right now, I would not be surprised. Still, her sudden explosion of anger could not help but scare me just a little bit.

Who am I kidding? I'm terrified. I don't remember the last time I've heard Suzumiya-san this angry. Wait a second, I have. The last time she was this angry….she almost caused the end of the world. I mentally slapped myself and kicked myself. Here we go again….

"I'm guessing…sorry, won't suffice?" I said feebly, as I was now trying to narrowly avoid making Suzumiya-san any angrier than she already clearly was. She looked back at me with a glare, as if considering accepting my weak apology. Crossing her arms, she turned her gaze away from me, still obviously annoyed.

"We'll see how I'm feeling after we get something to eat. I'm still starving!"

After that embarrassing display in the middle of the street, I managed to get Suzumiya-san to finally lead me to wherever it was she wanted to eat. I would assume that satiating her would hopefully quench whatever anger she might be feeling as well. It's not like I wanted Haruhi to continue being mad. That would just lead to highly undesirable consequences.

To my utter dismay, Haruhi decided she wanted to eat Western food again, and she was in the process of finding us a table in the same restaurant I had gone to with her some weeks before. That was the day I had first gone on a date with Haruhi. What an interesting day that had certainly been. I think the clearest memory was when I watched Suzumiya-san punch Taniguchi right in the nose. As brutal of an act as it was, it certainly was almost funny and enjoyable to watch. God, I sound sick thinking that. But sometimes even Taniguchi deserves that.

As we got to sitting down, Haruhi seemed to just catch the waiter's attention almost immediately, and her mouth started moving like it was powered by electricity.

"We'll be getting some of this, and a little bit of that, and some of that, and a side order of this, and add a little of that just for the fun of it." She said, effectively confusing the waiter with half the things she said. I could see he was just feebly trying to write down everything she had told him, despite the fact that Suzumiya-san had made herself more or less incomprehensible to most anyone.

After the waiter left, still utterly confused out of his mind, Suzumiya-san diverted her attention to me. It's awkward to have her staring at your face like it's a television screen. She seems to have this need to find something to keep her attention, like every second of boredom is poison to her. I guess I can understand why she can't help but avoid boredom, considering what's happened every time she ends up getting too melancholic. Maybe her constant search for excitement is the way she indirectly stops herself from destroying the universe. At least, Koizumi would probably put it that way.

Damn that esper boy! I most likely won't get to hear any of his explanations till Monday. He's lucky I don't know where he lives, or I'd just go to his house and interrogate it out of him!

Once again, who am I kidding? I'm no Suzumiya-san. I don't have the spine to interrogate anyone. I might as well admit that and spare myself the utter shame and embarrassment.

"So you want to see what I've been reading lately?" a high, jubilant voice said to me from right across the table, and the only logical answer would be that it came from Suzumiya-san.

I turned, initially unsure of what to think of Haruhi's quick change of mood. It was a good thing, actually. If her attention was changing so quickly, then perhaps she might just as easily forget about all the anger she might be harboring towards me.

The best choice of action right now was to simply humor her. It's not like it could hurt, right?

"What is it?" I said, leaning towards her as I tried to make myself as interested as I possibly could. Haruhi reached into the pocket of her jacket, and I wondered exactly what kind of book she could be keeping there. She looked like she was searching for something that had obviously been lost in her coat. I tapped my finger impatiently, until I finally saw Suzumiya-san pull something small out of one of her pockets.

"Here it is! It's a really weird read, but I like it!" she exclaimed, nearly slamming the tiny book on the table. Upon getting a closer look, I almost groaned at what it was she'd been reading.

Of course you would like anything weird, Haruhi. It's only in your nature. And you've only mentioned it to us for the thousandth time!

Why do I sound so alarmed and annoyed? It's probably because of the book that Suzumiya-san has proclaimed to be vigorously reading. It's called….the Bible.

Look, I swear that I have no idea where the hell she got a copy of this from. And why did she get one anyway? I haven't read this text myself, but from some of the things that Koizumi mentioned, it sounds like religious gibberish. But I never was too religious….so maybe I shouldn't talk much…

"Check it out, Kyon! There's this one part at the end called The Book of Revelation or something. I don't remember. It was saying all this stuff about the end of the world and an alien warrior called the Antichrist who overthrows everyone and takes over the world. In fact, this book says that the Bible has proof of aliens affecting history! I knew it! It's everywhere, and people won't acknowledge it!" Haruhi stated to me, holding both books us as if comparing one to the other.

Apparently, Haruhi assumed that one of the books in her hands, Chariots of The Gods, was undeniably saying that the other book, the Bible, had unquestionable proof of alien contact with human beings in the past. Even though I haven't read either of these books, I can somehow make a good guess that Suzumiya-san is definitely misinterpreting something.

For one thing, she was clearly making an embarrassment of herself and of me, because I could just feel all the stares around us burning themselves into my soul. Second, I already had figured out that the orb I had seen in both junk data space and closed space was created completely and totally by Suzumiya-san. That was something anyone could have figured out at this point, granted they knew what Haruhi's power was in the first place.

Where the hell did she find all this nonsense? All it's done is given her more crazy ideas that just make everyone else's life worse. I groaned, putting my head down as I waited for our food to come.

"Kyon! Are you even listening to me? I'm trying to tell you what I've been reading! Answer your Brigade Chief, or you're going to end up cleaning the entire club room floor on Monday, with a toothbrush!"

I guess I could do nothing but jolt up in response to that. There was no way I was planning on cleaning the entire club room floor with a toothbrush. Not anytime soon, at least.

"Sorry, sorry. I was feeling tired. Go on…" I said with false excitement. I really don't want to continue feeding an interest of Suzumiya-san's like this. Especially when it's an interest that is not necessarily good. And to my dismay, our food was taking awhile to come.

Damn you, Haruhi! Did you order so much on purpose? And I'm not made of yen, you know!

"So like I was saying…this book talks so much about aliens! They call them angels, but I can tell they're all really talking about aliens in disguise. Especially since they all seem to come down from the sky. I mean come on! Why would random guys with wings just come down and want to talk to ordinary boring humans? It makes no sense to me. They all have to be aliens!"

I could already clearly tell that Suzumiya-san planned on talking for quite awhile now. With nowhere to escape to, I could only help but listen to her and pretend to be interested. I had a feeling this was going to be quite a long Friday night.

Okay, it wasn't actually as bad as I thought it was. After Haruhi had finished talking, she ate only a small amount of the food she had ordered, all of which I was still expected to pay for. It was annoying, but it wasn't that much of a bother.

Luckily, I managed get a goodbye kiss from Suzumiya-san when we walked to her house, which certainly brightened up my evening. With not much else to do, I decided to just head home.

The night routine went fairly quickly, as I washed up, brushed my teeth, changed, and somehow managed to avoid my annoying younger sibling once again. Luck continued to stay on my side, and I guess I should cherish such little things that help make my days all the better, even if they seem bad to start out with.

Falling asleep took almost no effort, once I got into my bed. I just lay down, closed my eyes, thought about Suzumiya-san for a bit, and eventually, I just drifted into a calm, pleasant sleep. Hopefully this time I wouldn't be woken up and teleported into some junk data space. Nagato-san did that once, and I would sincerely hope that she didn't find the urge to do it again.

When a good night's sleep seemed right within my grasp, something just had to snatch it away. When it seemed like I might actually be getting the kind of lazy morning I wanted, something just had to get in the way. And behold, that something was none other than my incomparable sister.

"Kyon! Wake up, sleepy head!" she nearly screamed in her sing-song voice from behind my door, battering at it with her tiny hands. Like I've said, it's cute to anyone else, but definitely not too me. I rubbed the back of my head in utter annoyance, clearly because I was really pissed off. It's a Saturday morning! Can't I get some sleep just this once?

"Gah, what is it? It better be important…" I said, obviously not wanting to get up, even though I forced myself out of bed. Your own bed is always the most comfortable right before you fully leave it.

"Your girlfriend is here, Kyon! She wants you to come to the door!"

I guess there was not much else to do but sigh at such a response. I guess I shouldn't expect a free Saturday from here on out. Whatever happens, it seems that Haruhi always needs to have something planned for all of us. I sincerely doubt that whatever she's doing, she's certainly not doing it without the rest of the Brigade.

And since when did I tell my sister that Suzumiya-san was my girlfriend? How does everyone know all this stuff when I don't even say a word about it?!?

Never mind. This is obviously going to continue on like some sick joke that keeps getting played on me. There's no point in arguing with it. I couldn't help but sigh yet again.

"Hold on a second." I said emotionlessly and in a tired tone, as I changed my clothes and tidied myself up as best I could. The worst thing I could do right now was to keep Haruhi waiting, even though I knew I'd be getting a scolding fit from the girl no matter how much time I took getting to her. Without taking too much time, I quickly ran out of my door, breezing right past my smiley-faced sister as I did so. At least being with Haruhi meant that I wouldn't have to be dealing with that little girl…

And as I got towards my front door, I could clearly see that it was already wide open. I figured my sister might forget to close it. Either that, or Suzumiya-san took the liberty of keeping it open. Nevertheless, I stepped right outside, only to be greeted by the Brigade Chief's obviously impatient voice.

"You're finally up! Do you know how long we've been waiting out here?"

I initially ignored Suzumiya-san's statement, taking the time to realize that the whole club was now present in front of me. Nagato-san was reading a novel, and ignoring everything else, as usual. Asahina-san gave me a wave, and she wore a cute expression that did nothing less but makes me melt inside. Koizumi had his hands in his pockets, the same plastic smile on his face. Suzumiya-san's arms were crossed, and she did not look very pleased with me at all. Right next to her, there was what looked like a red wagon, and it contained a few rectangular cardboard boxes.

"What's going on?" I said, yawning loudly as I closed my eyes for a moment.

"Don't fall asleep, idiot! You're in charge of carrying this!" Haruhi exclaimed at me while my eyes were closed, and I felt something nearly get dropped right onto my foot. It took all my reflexes to catch it, and I when I did manage to grab it, I noticed it was quite heavy.

"What's this?" I said as I stared at the large cardboard box now in my hands. It felt bulky, and there was some stuff written on it that I didn't feeling like really discerning at the moment, due to my current exhaustion.

"It's one of the new computers that I got for us this morning. While you were sleeping your ass off, Kyon, the rest of the club and I went to go pick these up from the electronics store. They're the latest models, and we're going to get them to the club room on the double! Now let's go already! I want to try them out!"

Without another word, I watched Suzumiya-san turn and take hold of the handle that began to drag the red wagon carrying the other cardboard boxes along. It was then I noticed that there was just enough space left in the wagon to easily fit the cardboard box I was currently holding.

She's making me carry this just to spite me? What the hell does she think I am? What kind of crazy gi-

Gah…there's no use. Without another thought of protest, I simply followed Haruhi's lead, and Nagato-san, Asahina-san and Koizumi did the same. We're all just the workers in her big circus. Lucky us….


	8. Chapter 8

**The next chapter is here! I've been slow this last week or two, but that's from a million things going on at once in my life. As soon as all the stress is over, my fast updating will return! Enjoy this chapter, guys!**

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When you're around Haruhi, you should almost always expect that you will be made to undertake some sort of hard menial labor for her. I'm not kidding when I say something like this. You should always expect her to make you do something that requires manual labor.

Now, maybe I'm just the only one who ends up actually having to do any of this peon work, but I figure I can try to warn future generations of the SOS Brigade while I'm ahead of the curb.

The cardboard box in my hand was undoubtedly heavy, due to the new desktop computer tower inside, and I guessed that Haruhi would continue to make me carry it all to North High. On a Saturday, carrying such a large and cumbersome box like this was certainly not on my list of most enjoyable activities.

And so, Suzumiya-san was now in the process of leading us as if we were all part of some sort of marching band. A little bit of my soul got ripped out every time I looked to see Haruhi pulling the rest of the cardboard boxes along, and that one space where mine could go was very obvious. I sighed to myself, knowing that I was unable to do much but continue to carry the box along.

Koizumi was just a bit ahead of me, a smile on his face and his hands tucked neatly into his pant pockets. He seemed content at the moment, and I grimaced at this. Esper boy should count himself lucky that Haruhi isn't forcing him to carry anything….

Glancing at Nagato-san, who was not surprisingly reading another one of her novels as she walked, I could see that this light-haired alien had also evaded having to carry any of these computer boxes. I would expect that, but even still it made my blood boil slightly that I remained the only one who was expected to perform this task.

When I looked in Asahina-san's direction, I did not find myself becoming jealous of the fact that she was not responsible for carrying one of the five large computer boxes. In the back of my mind, I could simply not imagine such a sweet creature like Mikuru-chan struggling to carry one of these boxes with her delicate arms….

"Move faster, Kyon!" a voice shouted at me when I had slowed my pace in walking a little bit. Of course, it could be none other than Suzumiya-san, who was standing in front of me, her face fuming with discontent. Because she had stopped walking, it caused everyone else to stop following her lead as well.

I find it amazing that Suzumiya-san needs to stop and scold just me. She couldn't find the time to notice Koizumi being slow in front of me, or Nagato-san completely disregarding everyone around her.

No, Haruhi had to just point out my faults, and all my obvious mistakes. I don't think I can take a breath of air without her jumping down my throat. I can only imagine how much harder on me she would become if I ever found the insane notion to marry her.

God…a thought like that sure is really far from now. I've still got some time in high school left. The end of this year, and all of next year. I shouldn't be worrying about it. I definitely shouldn't be worrying about such a messed-up thought as actually wanting to remain with Haruhi forever…

"Sorry. I'll watch my pace." I said, walking pat the still disgruntled Suzumiya-san. I had a feeling she just pouted to me in response, based on what I heard her say.

"You better!"

With Suzumiya-san now in the front of us all again, I knew that we were only a few blocks away from North High, and it made my heart skip a beat knowing that I would have to carry this infernal box for only a bit longer.

While we walked, I could not help but notice something very peculiar, if not unnerving. Mikuru-chan seemed to be walking the slowest out of all of us, even though Haruhi was clearly ahead by a few feet, and expecting us to keep up with her insane pace. The red-haired time traveler was just some feet behind me, and she was slowly following us, her head down, and sadness apparent on her doll-like face.

It would make any guy melt on the inside if he saw Asahina-san looking this sad. In fact, she looked really miserable, if you ask me. I was waiting for her to just burst into tears already, and I did not initially realize that I had stopped in my tracks at the sight of this sorrowful-looking Mikuru-chan.

While Haruhi did not take much notice to this, I watched Mikuru-chan stop, and look up at me with a face that signified surprise. Obviously, something was bothering her. It was easy to tell from the expression on her innocent face.

"You alright?" I asked, shifting my weight as I stood so the box would not fall out of my hand anytime soon. Asahina-san seemed hesitant to answer me, and she turned away from me. Something was clearly bothering her. I didn't even take the time to look back and see how far ahead Haruhi and the others were, even though I expected another shouting fit from our Brigade Chief any moment now.

"I'm fine, Kyon-kun. Don't worry about me…." Asahina-san replied softly, and it was easy to tell from the sadness in her voice that there was something she did not want to say.

I'm no moron. It's easy to see that Asahina-san is avoiding something. Something's bothering her. God, it's obvious for even an idiot like Taniguchi to see at this point.

I watched Mikuru-chan stand there, worry and sorrow easily present on her face. I thought about possibly asking her what was wrong. I thought of putting myself out to her, and sounding concerned for her well-being. Especially since my gut feeling was telling me that it probably had something to do with Suzumiya-san.

But instead, I let Mikuru-chan walk past me silently, and without a word, I simply followed her, with the cardboard box still being carried in my arms. I guess I could say that maybe I just wasn't in the mood to aggravate Haruhi by trying to comfort Asahina-san, but something was telling me that wasn't it.

In the back of my mind, I wondered if Suzumiya-san was possibly jealous of Asahina-san. She was beautiful, and probably one of the most beautiful girls in all of North High. Her face, well-endowed assets that almost everyone knew about, and that long, red hair of hers; made Asahina-san an instant favorite among everyone in school. Even still, she didn't know much about her popularity among everyone else, and the truth was that Mikuru-chan was practically untouchable.

I sighed as I continued to walk along. The facts were that Suzumiya-san was easily capable of jealously. I just hoped she really wasn't jealous or anything. I'm not cheating on her, and I certainly wouldn't be cheating on her with Asahina-san. But even so, when you compare them, Mikuru is nicer to me, more thoughtful, not at all bossy, and she has such a cute smile….

I think I'm going way too far now. I'm too scared of what Suzumiya-san could do to me to even consider thinking about if I had chosen Asahina-san instead of her.

Well, it seems that in all the time I spent thinking, I was actually a little behind the others. Suzumiya-san had already gotten most everyone to inside the entrance of North High, except for Asahina-san, who seemed to be taking her time in walking towards the school. I could see Haruhi waving at me from afar, an annoyed expression on her face, but I mostly ignored her at this point.

After Haruhi finally gave up signaling me, and went inside, I soon followed suit. I discovered them all waiting in front of the clubroom door, and Suzumiya-san had her arms crossed, glaring at me as she tapped her foot impatiently. It was only then that I began to wonder how exactly the door had just pushed open for me before, since the school was generally locked when not in use.

"I'm guessing there's a reason we were able to get in so easily." I stated, my arms finally beginning to get tired from carrying this computer the whole way from my house to the high school. Haruhi didn't seem to notice my obvious exhaustion much, and she barked back at me with not a hint of patience in her voice.

"I get in when I need to get in. As Brigade Chief, I have to make sure that we have access inside the school when it's important enough. Now some of the Computer Research Society Members are going to set these computers up for us, and then we can finally get to the important part of why we're all here today!"

Something was telling me that whatever she deemed as "important" wasn't really actually that important. To Haruhi, it might be, but to the rest of us, it probably wasn't. I didn't sigh this time, but merely proceeded to follow Koizumi, Nagato-san and Asahina-san as they swiftly entered the room. Haruhi stayed in front of the open door, but she rudely pushed the red wagon inside with her foot. It nearly hit me in the shin, but luckily I managed to avoid the runaway thing.

"The members from the Computer Research Society should be here soon. Make sure they set up these computers right, and make sure that they don't mess up the clubroom!"

With her last command to us, I watched Haruhi close the door, going off to God knows where. With my overlord finally gone, I felt relieved to finally put the large cardboard box I had been carrying down on the floor. Every muscle in my arms began to relax, as if a thick knot had been untied in each of them. It was nice to not have to be carrying this anymore.

"Suzumiya-san seems more exuberant than usual today." A familiar voice said from behind me, and I didn't have to turn to know that it had come from the mouth of Itsuki Koizumi. The esper boy in question was already sitting down in his usual chair, his eyes narrowed and the same plastic smile on his face.

Exuberant? I would probably be using the words bossy, commanding, overbearing, and the fact that she's acting like a whiny bit-

Conveniently, my thoughts were stopped when I heard someone knocking on the clubroom door. It was a weak-sounding knock, but it was clearly signifying that someone was waiting outside of the door.

I was the only one who stood up in response to this, and so naturally, I ended up being the one to open the door and reveal who was waiting behind it. Not much to my surprise, two nerdy looking boys with glasses were standing there, bored looks on both of their faces. They really didn't look like they wanted to be in this school right now.

"Are you the guys from the Computer Research Society?" I asked as I held the door open, and one of the members nodded to me, while disgustingly wiping his runny nose with the back of his hand.

"We're here to set up those new computers of yours. Your leader is practically forcing us…." The boy said to me, and it was clear that he did not want to be in this situation at all.

I felt a little pity for these two, mostly because they truly were victims of Suzumiya-san's blackmail and extortion. In general, the entire Computer Research Society was a servant to the SOS Brigade. Haruhi had not only taken one computer, but five from them. I remember her having taken their newest game, Day of Sagittarius IV, a few days ago, and now I could see that she clearly could have obtained computers herself, and when she finally did, Suzumiya-san could think of nothing less but to force these computer geeks to set them up for her.

Now that's what I call control. I really think Haruhi would make a fantastic dictator.

We didn't say much as all of waited inside the clubroom, and the two members got to work in setting up the computers. I can't say I wasn't glad to see someone else besides me bending to Haruhi's will, but I guess I was feeling a little sorry for these guys. They were now lugging the desktop tower out of its box, and already did they begin to hook up the various wires that could connect it to the internet and to the monitor on Haruhi's desk.

I glanced to my side as I sat in my chair, but I didn't find the urge to say much to anyone. As always, Nagato-san was truly content with reading her novel, and I wondered if she even realized that these two computer geeks were even present in the room. Asahina-san hadn't changed into her maid outfit, mostly because of the amount of people currently in the clubroom, but she was already serving us her heavenly tea.

Ah. Drinking Asahina-san's tea could be compared to drinking from the fountain of youth. It is truly something to behold. And when Suzumiya-san isn't in the room, it just seems to taste all the better. Maybe I could get used to a life without Haruhi….

I'm really a fool for thinking such a thing. Despite this sounding crazy, I don't think I'd be able to stay sane for very long without Haruhi as a part of my existence. A life without Suzumiya-san would be undoubtedly boring and would drive me into never-ending melancholy.

After about fifteen minutes or so of silence, besides the sounds of wires being fiddled with, it seemed that the two members of the Computer Research Society had finally finished with setting up all the computers. The desktop that Haruhi used seemed to have taken the most time in hooking up, as the last four computers she had bought were all new laptops. After setting up all of these electronic devices, I watched one of them take the disc of Day of Sagittarius IV, and begin to boot it up on the desktop that Suzumiya-san frequently used.

I guess it must be painful for one of them to have to install the very game they made on someone else's computer, especially when they're being forced to do it. I can only wonder what the Computer Research Society President must actually think of Suzumiya-san. I would probably bet money that he hates her with a burning passion by now.

Like it had been some sort of arduous and dreadful task, the two members finished installing Day of Sagittarius IV on all of the computers. Their faces showed signs of unhappiness and boredom, and I watched them both stand up from the chairs, and one of them seemed to be wiping sweat off his brow. God, I didn't think installing a computer game took so much effort..

The game disc in question continued to lay on the middle table, even though it would be easy for them to just run off with it by now.

"Well that's it from us….finally…" One of them said, specifically the one who had a lack of manners in wiping his nose with a tissue or something. His friend sighed in what sounded like relief.

"Let's go then, before that girl forces us to do something else. Maybe the Prez has a second copy of the game lying around somewhere…" he said, his voice sounding sorrowful. I watched him take one last glance at the very game that he had probably helped create, before both boys exited the clubroom.

When the two had left the vicinity of the clubroom, I was very surprised to hear the sound of a book closing. From my left, Nagato-san efficiently but slowly got up, and she walked over to a seat right in front of one of the laptop computers. Without further ado, I heard the sound of her clicking the mouse, and I could not help but come beside her and see exactly what she was doing.

The light-haired alien did not really take notice to me looking over her shoulder, and instead proceeded to start up Day of Sagittarius IV. I would be lying if I said I wasn't interested in what I was seeing. This new game seemed to have upgraded graphics, game play, and a whole bunch of other stuff that I was too lazy to even gloss over. Yuki had no difficulty in navigating her way through the game menus, and as I watched, she had started the actual game up with no effort.

While Yuki began to play, I could see Asahina-san sitting down in front of one of the computers, a sad look easily apparent on her face. She was looking down at her hands, and I could easily tell that something was still clearly bothering her. Nagato-san had taken no notice to this, as she was silently playing the new game in front of her. I could hear the sound of her fingers rapidly pressing on keys, and it was easy to say that the light-haired alien was enjoying herself. Koizumi was now out of his chair, and looking out the window in mild-interest, the breeze causing his brown hair to wave back and forth a little bit and a small smile on his face.

"There's something bothering you, Asahina-san. I'm not that oblivious." I said to the silent time traveler that had been looking down this entire time. I had managed to catch her attention, and she looked up at me, her hands on her lap, and an unsure expression on her face.

"I-I can't tell you what's wrong…." She said softly, and I was waiting for tears to begin to brim in her orange eyes.

Please don't do such a thing, Asahina-san. I could just collapse from the utter sadness that you're expressing.

"Why can't you say anything about it? Maybe we can help you"

The red-haired time traveler looked away from me, obviously not wanting to give me any eye contact. She seemed to be trying to focus elsewhere, or perhaps she was just focusing on a suitable answer. Either way, she answered me in a quiet and soft voice.

"Something terrible is about to happen. It's classified information. I can't tell you anything about it…" she said to me, and it was now clear that tiny tears were beginning to come down her face. I looked away, mostly because I don't think I could stand the sight of seeing Asahina-san like this.

It was at this time that my thoughts went back to the glowing orange orb. Koizumi didn't have much of an idea to exactly what it was, and Nagato-san had even less of an idea. Whatever this thing was, it obviously had a weird interest in me.

Had it been involuntarily created by Suzumiya-san because she'd been reading that stupid Book of Revelation? The answer was most likely yes. I think I'm starting to hate the Bible right now, as narrow-minded and bigoted as that sounds…

But what was about to happen that was so terrible? What was Asahina-san crying about?

The answer to my question seemed to come in the form of someone beginning to open up the door to the clubroom. I could hear the doorknob being turned from the other side, and slowly, the door began to open. Koizumi's head turned to see who was coming through, and Asahina-san looked up through her still brimming tears. Surprisingly, I saw Nagato-san take her attention away from the game, and direct her alien gaze right towards the opening door.

When the door had finally opened, I saw none other than the President of the Computer Research Society standing there. He had a blank expression on his face, as if he wasn't even alive or something. I raised my eyebrow when I noticed his appearance. He was still in his pajamas, which happened to be blue with green computer chip designs all over them.

As he walked forward, Koizumi stood up behind me. The esper had narrowed his eyes, and I heard him speak in an urgent and serious tone behind me.

"That's not a human being." He said, and I finally was able to notice what he was talking about when the President had fully entered the room. Where a normal human's eyes might have been, there were instead two glowing orange orbs in their place. The President's eyes looked like balls of energy, and they flashed in excitement as he stood in front of us. Mikuru-chan looked alarmed, and I heard her voice come out frantically.

"No! This isn't supposed to be happening!" she said, standing up from her chair, her usually peaceful face wrought with anguish and fear. I backed away a little bit, but the "President" walked closer to me, the clubroom door still open behind it.

"I'm back!" a loud and almost obnoxious voice said from behind the Computer Research Society President, and it was of course none other than Suzumiya-san, who had appeared with the most perfect timing. In response to her statement, the orange-eyed President turned to face her, and I could see her raise an eyebrow in confusion as she spoke with a bewildered tone.

"What's he doing in the clubroom? I didn't give him authorization to enter!"

I bet if Haruhi had more time to say anything else, she most certainly would have. Unfortunately for her, a bright, piercing orange light almost instantly flashed from where the Computer Society President was standing. It blinded me, Haruhi and most likely everyone else in the clubroom, and I could already tell that I was about to end up in yet another unfavorable dilemma.

It would be hard to say that this didn't remind me of the time when I had been transported to that white void with Suzumiya-san. If the light had been such a bright orange instead of a white, I would have expected a similar outcome to this situation right now.

Whatever the outcome, I most certainly know by now that it'll involve this accursed orb. I seriously don't know why it's so interested in me.

Maybe it's actually interested in Suzumiya-san, but like Ryoko Asakura before it, it had to get through to me first.

I sighed as I felt the orange light completely wash over me. I'm just a normal human surrounded by extraordinary people. The world continues to purposely make me uncomfortable, it seems. If there really is what Christians call a "heaven", then I think some angel up there doesn't like me at all…

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**Well, I hate to leave you on a cliffhanger, especially right before the action and all, but I must this time. The next chapter will come sometime next week, because I have one last final to pass, and it is the hardest one yet. Wish me luck guys, and I will have a next chapter for all of you as soon as it's over. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Well, I had a lot of free time today, and upon watching the second episode of Season 2, I could not help but get an awesome rush to write Haruhi goodness today. And it seems I suceeded in getting the next chapter done! Enjoy it, guys. More to come soon enough, of course. On Wendsday, most likely.**

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I have to be completely honest with myself when I say that I had absolutely no idea what was going to happen to me when that bright orange light bathed over me. It's safe to say that at the same token, I didn't know what was going to happen to Haruhi or the others either.

I guess throughout my constant adventures with Suzumiya-san and her band of weirdos, I finally realized that such a thing like what's happening to me right now is just another ordinary occurrence. In Haruhi's ideal world, anything strange, bizarre, outrageous, ridiculous, or equally ludicrous is bound to happen on a daily basis.

If there's one question that I never stopped and took some time to think about it, it would most certainly be this.

What's the point of all of these monologues that go through my head, anyway? Besides summing up my daily life, they serve little purpose in anything else. They don't help me with my problems, nor do they help answer the hundreds of questions that I ask myself on a daily basis. I figure that I waste more time when I'm pondering than I waste in playing chess against Koizumi during the SOS Brigade club meetings after school.

It's official. My constant inner-monologues are clearly a bad habit. But the bad news is; I don't think it's a habit I'll ever be able to shake off. I have a feeling it's going to remain with me forever…

As if my mind was fated to suddenly be catapulted from its continuous thought process, the consistent blinding flash of orange light dissipated in an almost an instant. Well, it could have been an actual instant, but I don't think there's actually much of a difference between instantly and almost instantly. Go figure.

With my vision having returned, I was more than happy to use it. It's only natural that I'd want to know what the hell just happened to me. Luckily, I was able to get a partial answer from looking all around me.

Simply put; I was inside a large enclosed space, and specifically, I was sitting in a large chair that was surrounded by control panels and electronic interfaces of all types. Scratching the back of my head, I couldn't help but become completely bewildered at my location.

Where exactly did I go? Now I'm really confused.

Naturally, I stood up, and the chair swiveled a bit as it became relieved of my weight. There were many interfaces in front of me, actually, and they all of them looked almost familiar in a way. It was then that I had managed to notice what I was wearing, and it was certainly not something I would usually wear in any normal situation.

It was a very nice, very comfortable and very expensive looking, navy blue uniform. It looked like it belonged on someone serving in the army, and it was adorned with various ceremonial gold plates, and clearly it had been well-taken care of. My hands had somehow been covered with white gloves, and when I put my hand on my forehead for a moment, I felt a bit of fabric near my hair, and upon taking hold of said object, I found it to be a matching navy blue cap.

Upon realizing what kind of strange garb I was suddenly wearing, more questions could not help but run themselves through my brain like marathon runners on the home stretch of a four hundred meter race. For what reason was I dressed like this? What's the point of me ending up in such a ridiculous out-

I would have finished that last thought, but something completely and utterly caught my attention. I found myself slowly walking forward, my eyes wide at what I could see through the large window besides the chair I had just been sitting in.

It was nothing less of what looked like the black void of space. Tiny pinpricks of light that were probably distant stars dotted the cold depths, and other spaces were filled by the shapes of large blue spaceships. I could hardly believe it at this point, but the proof was right in front of me. It looked like there were hundreds of these ships floating in the vastness of space around me, and I could only scratch the back of my head in confusion once more.

Alright, this time I'm really stumped. Why am I dressed in this stupid uniform? Why am I in space? Why am I surrounded by starships? What the hell is going on here!?!

My mind was pounding at the sheer bizarreness of the situation, only to be interrupted by the quiet but noticeable sound of someone walking in what I thought might be high heels. At least, that's what it sounded like from a distance. I turned from the window, and it was obvious someone was coming down one of the long hallways towards the end of this large room. Their shadow was reflecting on the hallway wall as they approached, but I couldn't discern who it belonged to.

When I managed to take one more glance to my left, I spotted a large space below me, and it was full of various control consoles and seats for each one. There was a window above them all, and at this point, I pretty much knew that I was on some sort of star ship myself. The fact that I hadn't noticed this before was already starting to make me question my own intelligence.

"You survived the data transfer. I did not know that was possible for a normal human." A monotone-sounding and easily recognizable voice said as the speaker made herself visible to me. It was none other than Yuki Nagato, who was clad in a light blue uniform that looked oddly good on her. The sound she had made walking had obviously come from the high heeled shoes she was wearing.

"Data transfer? What are you talking about?"

Let's face it. If there was a situation in which I was still extremely confused at what was going on around me, then that said situation would most certainly be occurring now.

"Every being that had been present in Suzumiya-san's clubroom has been subject to a data transfer. For a short period of time, each of one was converted into nano-data particles, and then reassembled in a new data space. I had always doubted that human beings could actually survive the process intact." Yuki replied, making not attempt to show a hint of concern, fear or worry in her voice. If I didn't know any better, than it might sound to me like she didn't care about our well-being at all. I do happen to know better, of course.

When Nagato-san mentioned "intact", I couldn't help but gulp nervously. I had the urge to go and check that hopefully every important part of me had survived this data transfer, but doing so would be very distasteful in front of Nagato-san.

And so I decided that I would just hope that certain parts of me had in fact not been separated from my body, before sighing as I readied another question for the light-haired alien in front of me.

"Do you know where this "new data space" is, Nagato-san?" I asked in a tired voice, even though it was only signifying my aggravation at the situation in front of me. I still didn't know where exactly I was, beyond being in a star ship that was currently sitting in space. I glanced back for a moment at the window behind me. The blue starships outside still remained completely still, and I was sure that their positions had not changed even the slightest bit.

Alright! Something about all of this is oddly familiar! It's like that déjà vu. What the hell is this all reminding me of!?!

"Kyon! You better have an explanation to where the hell we are! And why did you end up dressed like a dork?" a loud, obnoxious, and obviously annoyed Suzumiya-san said from down the hallway, causing me to slightly turn my gaze away from Nagato-san in response.

Our aforemented Brigade Chief was striding towards me with her hands at her sides, with Koizumi and Asahina-san following behind. Haruhi was making quite a lot of noise as she walked; mostly because of the fact she was wearing high heels just like Nagato-san. She had a red uniform on, coupled with a nice looking black skirt, although it didn't seem as flashy as the one that the alien behind me had on. When I managed to catch a glance at Mikuru-chan, I easily noticed that she had on one of these uniforms as well, except it was a pink color. Right beside the time traveler, Koizumi also followed Suzumiya-san, sporting a uniform almost exactly like mine, but it was dark green instead of navy blue.

Why is everyone wearing these ridiculous outfits? Why the hell are we in space?

God, if I didn't know any better, I would say that we somehow ended up in Day of Sagittarius IV or something. But that would be insane. There's just no way.

"Well, I have no idea, so don't ask me again." I replied to the still annoyed to Suzumiya-san, who just crossed her arms in discontent. Koizumi wasn't smiling, but he still looked mildly calm about the whole situation. Mikuru, on the other hand, was another story. She looked ready to collapse from fright.

"This is very strange. I can't say I have much of an idea of where we are either." Koizumi commented, taking the time to walk over to the large window behind me and observe the many ships that continued to stay motionless in the cold void of space outside. Haruhi was rubbing her chin in thought, as if she was planning some sort of unbeatable plan that would help us get out of this predicament.

"I'm scared, Suzumiya-san. I want to go back to the clubroom…." Asahina-san said in a scared voice that sounded fit for a toddler rather than a teenage girl. She looked like she was shivering in fear, and the red-haired time traveler kept looking from side to side, as if trying to remain alert.

"Stop being a baby! There's nothing to be afraid of. We just have to figure out where we are, and why we're here!" Haruhi exclaimed to all of us, making heads turn as she raised a gloved fist into the air in self-pronounced triumph.

I did nothing less but face palm upon hearing Haruhi say this. How does she expect us to figure this all out? For all we know, we're far from the planet Earth right now. We're in the middle of space, Brigade Chief!

I glanced at Nagato-san, who had simply remained silent for most of this. She looked like she was thinking in her head, or maybe she was processing all this as data. I didn't know, and I didn't plan on actually finding such a thing out anytime soon. I just could hopefully assume that she was thinking about something.

"This is hopeless. We have no idea where we are. We're stranded." I stated, suddenly beginning to feel down at the looming doom that was presenting itself before us.

"Simulation."

Everyone seemed to turn at once at the sound of that word. It had come out of Nagato-san's mouth, and she had said it quietly. Surprisingly, it seemed like we all managed to catch what she had said, and I was naturally the first one to ask her what she might have meant.

"What do you mean simulation?"

"This is essentially a large-scale simulation. New data is coming in at speeds that are difficult to keep up with. But I have discerned that we are now involved in a simulation of space warfare, and out only option is to comply with the set rules of engagement, or become discarded data particles under the defeat of our opponent."

What? Space warfare? Engagement? Opponent?

I know I'm not going crazy! Don't tell me that we're all stuck in that stupid computer game! Please don't tell me that we all somehow ended up inside Day of Sagittarius IV!

Calm down, Kyon. You're making judgments before you can sit down and think about it. You're getting all riled up over something that's probably just a bad dream. That's it. This is all a really bad dream. No. This is a nightmare.

"Nagato-san's words have credibility. Something about all this is remarkably similar to the same strategy game the Computer Research Society had challenged us to sometime ago. The only difference seems to be that it looks as if we are in an actual command vessel." Koizumi interjected, and when I looked to see what he was doing, I saw that he had his face close to a holographic screen display, and he was lightly fiddling with the command console that sat right in front of the seat I had regained my vision in.

Damn it, Koizumi. I was this close to making myself believe this was all an idiotic dream. Does he get a kick out of just crushing my hopes like this?

"A simulation. Sounds like another challenge to me. I bet the Computer Society wants to compete against us again! This is some new game that they think they can beat us in!" Haruhi exclaimed determination and excitement in her amber eyes.

You're kidding, right Haruhi? I mean, my girlfriend can't be naïve enough to actually believe that this very real looking spaceship is all part of some sort of game, right?

From the look in Haruhi's eyes, I could already tell that she was far from kidding.

"This is all a game?" Asahina-san innocently asked, her delicate hands fearfully balled up into fists. Haruhi gave Mikuru a very serious glare, and she spoke with the same finesse and voice control she always possessed.

"Of course it is! All of this is obviously fake! And now that we know that, you can be sure that we're going to triumph over the enemy! And if we don't, I'm going to give the maximum penalty to all the losers who are at fault for our failure!"

I sighed to myself. Whatever the situation actually was, it seemed that we had no choice but to do what Nagato-san said before, and comply with whatever set rules of engagement that this "simulation" would present us with. As Koizumi was still in the process of navigating through the console in front of him, I began to feel a pinch of fear.

I guess I just realized that I have absolutely no experience as a spaceship commander. And I doubt this is as simple as commanding fleets with a mouse in a computer game.

"I can't seem to find any enemy vessels in our vicinity. This flagship is surrounded by a considerably large fleet of smaller ships, but beyond that, there's just empty space. We should tread lightly, especially since we don't exactly know how to pilot this ship in the first place." Koizumi said, and he seemed immersed in the computer console and holographic images. It seemed like he was some sort of natural at this. Funny, because I always expected Nagato-san to be more inclined to this kind of stuff.

"Alright, Koizumi-kun. Time to step aside and let your Brigade Chief assume command of this ship!" Haruhi announced, and I could see her already taking a quick stride towards the still working Koizumi, and I knew for a fact that she had no idea what she was doing.

As much as I might have enjoyed Haruhi actually bossing around someone else besides me for once, I still didn't feel like letting her suddenly run the show. In a daring and probably very stupid move, I stepped in front of Suzumiya-san, effectively stopping her from reaching Koizumi.

"Out of my way, Kyon." She said, crossing her arms and glaring at me with a fiery intensity in her eyes.

"You don't know what you're doing, Haruhi. None of us do. We should let Koizumi figure all this out before we decide who gets to take command of this ship." I replied, and I knew that every word I was saying was automatically becoming treason in Suzumiya-san's eyes. I was losing her favor by the second at this point.

"Are you really telling your Brigade Chief what she should do, Kyon? That's insubordination! That's breaking your loyalty to the Brigade!" she shouted back at me, and I could see that her gloved hands were tightly clenched into fists at her sides. I really didn't want to get punched in the face or anything, but I would rather it than face the consequences of letting Haruhi blindly lead us.

"I'm just trying to not get us killed….in this game." I said, quickly adding the last part when I realized what I was actually alluding to. If there's anything I should be taking advantage of, it's the fact that Haruhi is remaining completely oblivious of the true nature of our situation. And believe it or not, something was telling me that Nagato-san, Koizumi and Asahina-san probably knew that this wasn't actually a game. At least, I hope they could have guessed that by now.

"I know what I'm doing, Kyon! I'll show you exactly how it's done!" Haruhi exclaimed at me, before I felt her roughly push past me, and she was striding towards Koizumi again. I sighed.

Well, I certainly tried to stop her.

"This one looks important to me." Haruhi said as she stood over Koizumi, and the esper boy had no time to say much before her gloved finger came down and pressed hard on one of the many buttons that were scattered all over the control console. Upon her pressing it, I had initially expected the ship to initiate a self-destruct sequence, or perhaps the air lock doors would deactivate, and we'd all just get sucked into space.

But luckily none of those things happened. Instead, a large holographic screen came up right above Koizumi's head, and it depicted what looked like four other colored triangles besides a large blue triangle with a constantly radiating red circle around it. It really looked coincidental that the other triangles were the colors green, red, light blue and pink.

"Those look like more flagships. We seem to currently be on the blue one." Koizumi stated, his gaze now directed at the large hologram screen above. Nagato-san was beside him, and she was surprisingly looking up with some interest. Mikuru-chan had followed suit, but she still looked a little afraid.

"There are more ships? I want the red one then! Brigade Chief always gets the first pick anyway." Haruhi declared, pointing at the red triangle that was present on the holographic screen above.

Obviously, Haruhi really is treating this like a game. I felt like sighing, but I held it in this time. I guess its best to just let sleeping gods lie. I can only wonder how Haruhi might react if she found out the true nature of this "simulation".

"I would like the green one, if anyone does not object." Koizumi added, and a smile was already beginning to appear on his face. Great timing, esper boy.

"Light blue." Nagato-san said quietly, as she took her face away from the screen and started walking off towards the hallway she had originally come from.

"I'd like pink." Asahina-san said softly. I watched her turn quickly, and upon realizing that the alien was already going off in another direction, the time traveler began to follow her with a nervous expression on her face.

With no other option left for me, I realized that the blue flagship was now the one that I had ended up with.

The very same ship that we were all in right now. The one that I didn't really know how to pilot or control yet. Not to mention that I had an entire fleet of smaller ships outside as well, with all of them waiting to be given commands by me.

"I guess I'm stuck in here." I said with an indifferent tone, taking off my blue cap for a moment and rubbing the back of my head. I can't say I was getting too excited for this.

"We're all set then. Now how do you suppose we get onto those other ships from this one?" Haruhi questioned, still looking up at the gigantic hologram above, and impatiently tapping her heel on the metal floor at the same time. I could easily tell that she was getting into this. Behind me, the sound of Nagato-san walking in her high heel shoes had stopped, followed by Asahina-san also stopping right behind her.

"Matter transporter." Yuki stated, before continuing again. Mikuru followed her like an obedient puppy, and it wasn't long before Koizumi was behind them as well. Haruhi seemed like she didn't want to be following anyone else, but it eventually came down to her going with the rest of them. She gave me what was probably meant to be an angry glare or something, before the entire bunch disappeared down that hallway without as much as a goodbye.

I turned around, wondering what there was for me to do next. The nature of this situation was very confusing still, but I knew that there was some enemy for us to face now. They were waiting for us in the void of space, and we had no idea what they looked like at all.

What the hell did that orb do this time? It goes and possesses the Computer Research Society President, and then it just feels like zapping us here? Gah, I really hate these unfortunate circumstances. There's not much to do but conform to the situation at hand now.

Upon reaching the main control console that Koizumi had been using before, I noticed something very strange in the large space below. In front of all the various control panels and such, and sitting in all the seats, were what looked like…me.

I don't think I was going mad, because I was definitely seeing multiple Kyons working on the electronic computers and navigation consoles. They seemed to work diligently and quickly, and for a moment, I didn't even think they realized I was here. It wasn't until one of them turned around and noticed me that I found myself to be very wrong.

"General Kyon. We await your order, sir!" one of the Kyons said, saluting me as he got up from his seat. The other Kyons turned in response, and they all suddenly looked very happy to see me. I can't say I don't find it amazing that even these copies of me are addressing me by my nickname. But I think I've been referring myself as Kyon in my thoughts as well, so it really doesn't matter what my real name is at this point.

Without another word, I reluctantly looked down at the commander's seat that looked like it was just waiting for me to sit in it. I was used to having to sit in front of a computer and click with a mouse to command my ship. Now I actually had to do it manually.

Without further ado, I sat down in the chair, which felt surprisingly comfortable underneath me. My arms felt snug on the armrests, and I found myself gazing into the large window that revealed the vastness of space before me. I sighed, before uttering my commands to the loyal Kyons before me.

"Full speed ahead. Keep us at 40% velocity though, and make sure that the fleet stays closely knit. The last thing we need it to be caught off-guard this early, especially when we don't know the nature of our enemy."

"Acknowledged." One of the Kyons said, and I could already feel the ship began to lurch to a start as the thrusters roared to life. The other smaller ships around us were beginning to move along as well, and I relaxed back in my seat.

Somehow, it felt good to be in this position of command. But I couldn't help but still be afraid. With Haruhi being one to recklessly charge in the computer game, I could only guess she'd end up being the same way when it came to the real thing, whether she actually knew it was the real thing or not.

If I do happen to get obliterated sooner or later, I hope it ends up being a swift end to my existence. Maybe the enemy will be merciful with us and let us raise the white flag before we get totally wiped out by them…


	10. Chapter 10

**Here's the newest chapter everyone! Summer has begun, so expect writing from me as usual, since I don't have school to bring me down. However, I may have extended leaves of writing absence, so if there's a week break of chapters once or twice, I'm on vacation or something. Enjoy this next one! Especially the end of it. XD**

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I don't think I would have ever guessed in a million years that I would ever be sitting in a position of command over an entire fleet or starships. I certainly didn't expect to suddenly have the power of destruction in my belt either. Especially when that power was represented by a gigantic swarm of space cruisers that looked powerful enough to obliterate a small moon.

I have to say that for the first time in my life, I feel like I have something that I can finally use to fight back against my oppressors. To tell the truth, it's not a special power, or some sort of training that enables me to go beyond mortal ken.

No, I have warships at my command. I've been told time and time again that all I am is a normal human being, with no special esper powers, no classified temporal knowledge, no alien origins, and certainly no influence as a reality-altering deity. So naturally being able to command these ships was sudden rush of liquid ecstasy flowing straight into my brain.

The Kyons below me were doing a fine job running the rest of the flagship, considering I had no idea how to do it myself. And so I remain sitting in my command chair. Not many exciting things are happening right now, so I can't help but begin to get bored as we continue to drift through space.

As I had told the ship's personnel, the fleet around us is close; so as to make sure that my flagship is adequately protected on all sides from an enemy attack. Plus, I always found that spreading your forces out too thin in any game will probably end in you losing. But this really isn't a game, so my strategy has a good chance of not working out so well anyway.

Speaking of enemy, I can't help but become surprised at the fact that there is no enemy for us to fight, as far as I've seen. Now I'm not one to say that I'm looking for trouble like Suzumiya-san might be, but I'd expect that if that orange orb went through all this trouble in sending us here, it might at least give us something to face. Gah, I think I just perceived all this like it really is some big simulation. Of course, even I'm not stupid enough to believe what Nagato-san said. I know this is all clearly real.

Of course, one can't help but wonder how the hell Haruhi was able to believe that so easily. I sincerely think that she needs her brain checked sometime soon.

I would be lying if I said that I wasn't thinking about Suzumiya-san. Being the commander of this ship began to get boring fast, mostly because there were no orders to give, and the Kyons below were not too talkative at all. In fact, they followed orders and worked very well, and I wondered if they were emulating that part of me that can't help but submit to Haruhi's every whim.

I sighed to myself. Something inside me was already beginning to question this recent relationship I've been having with Haruhi. I never glossed over it before, but it is only now that I realize that this essentially my first girlfriend. I haven't had one before this, and I don't think I'm going to even end up having one after this. I think if I know what's good for me, I'd better stick with Haruhi.

But what does that mean? What kind of relationship does sticking with her entail?

So far, all we've really done is kissed each other, held hands, gone on a few dates and not much else. Come to think of it, I've yet to hear Haruhi say one "I love you". I mean, seriously. How can she be my girlfriend when all she wants is physical affection? Doesn't anything beyond just kissing and holding hands appeal to her?

This is quite aggravating to think about. Does this mean the relationship I have with Haruhi is in danger of falling apart? Of course, it can't really fall apart if it wasn't actually there in the first place.

I don't know if it's right to think this, but I'm also beginning to feel like Haruhi is essentially using me. Maybe she just has trouble expressing her inner feelings, as we've all seen. Or maybe it's deeper, and she just doesn't feeling like getting any farther than where we are now. For all I know, she'll be dumping me like she's done to all the other guys before me. Like Taniguchi had once told me, the longest relationship lasted for a week, and the shortest one was five minutes, right after the guy asked her out.

This is hopeless. There's no way out of a relationship with Suzumiya-san anyway. If I leave her, she'll just get pissed off enough that the world will disappear in an instant. I feel like a monkey on a chain, forced to continually crank music out in some dreaded carnival. And at the end of that chain, lies our Brigade Chief, with the same deathly overpowering glare apparent on her face.

Just what the hell does she want out of me?

A beeping sound seemed to wake me up from my inner monologue, and all I have to do is look beside me to see that a large holographic screen has spontaneously appeared. It shows the image of Itsuki Koizumi in his green commander's uniform, with his usual smiling expression as he speaks from his command chair, on the same green flagship that he took command of.

"This situation was certainly unexpected, though I can't say that I don't enjoy my new position of command."

I was ready to groan, but I did not. Still, the words that came out of my mouth were coated with distaste and boredom. It's not like anything had actually happened yet.

"Yeah, speak for yourself. I don't know what the point of putting us in control of all these starships is, so hopefully we can figure all this out. What the hell does this orb thing want with us?"

"I think a better question might be, what does it want with you?" Koizumi said, his tone not changing a bit as he spoke through the holographic projection screen. His over-cheerful face was already starting to annoy me.

"You've got a point. This thing seems to have a crush on me or something." I said in an uncaring tone, and I found myself almost wishing for us to be attacked or something. Just sitting here and talking to Koizumi while the Kyons below me punched in computer keys was turning out to be incredibly boring.

"I wouldn't go so far as saying something like that, but it certainly does have some sort of attraction to you. Like a paper clip might to a magnet. It's a very intriguing phenomenon." Koizumi replied, and he gave me a more serious expression now. Even still, it did not cease to be annoying.

"Yeah, well I wish it would go follow someone else. Why can't it be attracted to Haruhi or something? And where is it anyway? It brought us here, but we obviously haven't spotted any sign of its presence yet. For all we know, we could just be stuck in space forever."

"I sincerely doubt that. There is some underlying purpose that this being has. I don't think I've figured it out yet, but due to its nearly autonomous nature, I believe that it will reveal its goals in due time." Koizumi replied, his expression reverting back to the usual smiling one.

"I hope so. As long as Suzumiya-san doesn't get us all killed by causing us to charge in like bloodthirsty warmongers."

I found myself raising an eyebrow when Koizumi seemed to just smile wider when I said that. I could already tell that he was going to say something that I definitely wasn't going to like.

"I don't think she'll be able to do that. Especially since the red fleet turned out to just be a large conglomeration of derelict ships. It's quite strange, actually. They had a working energy signature one second, and then they turned up to be useless starships the next. Suzumiya-san seemed very unhappy when we she watched us leave to our own command ships via the matter transporter."

I felt my face just begin to twist in anguish after hearing what Koizumi had just told me. Haruhi's ships were rendered unusable? And she didn't get off this ship with the rest of them? Wait a second. Doesn't that mean that she's still on my flagship then?

"Kyon! I don't have a stupid fleet to command! What a dumb game!" Suzumiya-san shouted from way down the hallway that lead into the main command area, and I couldn't help but face palm as I listened to the sound of Haruhi walking down towards me in those high heels of hers.

I don't get a break, do I? Why must the world be so against me in so many ways?

"Don't you know what this means? She's going to take over my ship! How am I going to survive with this crazy girl putting me on a leash?" I exclaimed to Koizumi as Haruhi approached, and I felt ready to put my fist through the holographic screen in front of me as he just smiled again. Of course, such an act would be relatively useless.

"It seems that the fleet needs my attention. Try not to aggravate Suzumiya-san. We cannot afford the consequences." Koizumi said to me, and almost immediately after, the holographic screen in front of me quickly shut off, disappearing in a flash of light.

Koizumi! You smiling son of a bit-

"This is stupid, Kyon! My fleet is just a bunch of wrecked ships. I have no ships to control at all. I find this to be a disgrace to my position! The Brigade Chief needs something to command, or the point of my title becomes irrelevant!"

"How is that my problem? Just go find something else to do. I need to keep watch for enemy ships myself!" I replied to Suzumiya-san with an annoyed tone in my voice, my back facing her as I sat up in my command chair. My focus was to remain in control of this fleet, despite the fact that Suzumiya-san being present was only making me think more about the various relationship issues that I've been having with her.

Nevertheless, I must focus on the fleet.

"Increase us to 70% velocity. There must be something in this space besides our allies. And make sure not to go bumping into them. The last thing we need is to end up getting obliterated because of pure stupidity. Send out a few scouts ships to scan the outlying space. I'd like to know if there's anything of particular interest." I relayed to the Kyons below me, who silently acknowledged my orders. I could feel the flagship moving faster underneath me, although it wasn't actually that noticeable.

It was good to be in command. For as weird as it sounds, I guess I could say that was almost beginning to enjoy this whole situation. But as with most things in my turbulent life, something just has to ruin it.

"Kyon. Get up from that chair. Now." Haruhi said next to me, towering over me with her arms crossed and a glare that said "obey or die". I looked up in confusion, raising an eyebrow after hearing such an order from Suzumiya-san.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Get up and relinquish this ship to your new commander. Your Brigade Chief orders you to do it!" Haruhi exclaimed, the words in her sentence becoming louder the more she spoke.

I knew that I had multiple options after hearing this. I could get up, and bow down to Suzumiya-san's rule over my newly acquired fleet as she took command of it from me. I could tell her to screw off, and probably earn a punch in the face and a hard kick to the groin. I could beg her to let me keep it, and then she'd end up just pushing me aside and taking it from me anyway. So the way I see it, any option at this point ends up in me either submitting to Haruhi's rule, or being physically harmed. Not so much a good selection of options, if you ask me.

I sighed, wondering what I should say next. Koizumi said not to aggravate Suzumiya-san, and I guessed that telling her to screw off would just end up aggravating her a lot, not to mention leaving me on the floor in pain. So with no other viable options in front of me, I figured I'd take the less traveled road.

"Can't I just command this fleet for once? You always get to tell the rest of us what to do. Why can't I tell someone else what to do for once? You can watch and all, but wouldn't it be fair to give me a chance for once?" I pleaded, looking up at Suzumiya-san with the best innocent eyes that I could muster.

Haruhi looked back at me, and her expression calmed as I watched her rub her chin in thought. It obviously seemed like she was thinking over exactly what she was going to do, and part of me was wondering if what I had said might have actually worked. Perhaps I've hit a lucky break and she was just going to leave control of the fleet over to me.

"You have a point. However…."

I sighed in relief, but Suzumiya-san's loud voice broke that relief.

"Denied! I'm taking over this ship now!" she said to me, and I felt both of her hands latch onto my arm, and with surprising strength, Haruhi threw me right out of the command chair. I skidded into the ground a few feet away, and my head was spinning like a runaway top.

Without further ado, Suzumiya-san took a seat in my blue command chair, reveling in the fact that she was now in a position to order people around. I don't get it. Why the physical violence? Couldn't she treat me a little better? Like I said, something about this "relationship" doesn't seem so right to me.

"General Kyon!" one of the many Kyons said in horror from down below in the lower deck, and I sat up to see that most of the Kyons were now staring at Suzumiya-san like she was a Spanish conquistador who had just blown off the head of their Aztec leader with her musket rifle. Looks of anguish, anger and discontent were being shared all around, and it was safe to say that the Kyons didn't look happy at the sudden coup.

"That's the general's seat! You're not the general!" one of the Kyons said to Suzumiya. I couldn't help but groan at such lame dialogue. It was beginning to actually sound like a video game, and a very badly dubbed one, to say the least.

Haruhi looked down upon the many Kyons, and I could see a frown already appearing on her face. I guessed she hadn't noticed that the entire ship was being run by multiple mes at this point, and I could only expect that she didn't like this fact too much.

"There's a new general now. And you're all going to call me Brigade Chief. The consequences will be unfavorable for all of you if you don't." Suzumiya-san said, leaning back in the command chair as if she was relaxing in her new state of power. I had finally gotten up and brushed myself off, but I was still clearly annoyed by the fact that my role as general had just been taken from me.

"And what if we don't want this new general?" one of the Kyons said angrily, raising his fist in the air as if trying to incite revolution among his fellows. Others stood behind him, and a smile was beginning to appear on my face as I realized that the many Kyons could just easily overthrow Suzumiya-san. This was unexpected. These other Kyons certainly have a lot more courage than the original.

Haruhi stood up, getting out of the command chair and leaning on the wall that separated her from the rest of the ship's personnel below. There was an angry glare on her face, and from the sound of her voice, I could see that she had stopped being so calm.

"Listen you idiots! I'm in charge now! You better deal with it, and obey me like you're supposed to, or some of you are going to end up being sucked through the garbage disposal airlock! Or I can just use you all as live ammunition when we run into the enemy fleet! Either way, you better listen, or there'll be severe penalties for all of you! Insubordination on my ship will not be tolerated under any circumstances!!! Do I make myself clear?"

I have to say one thing about Haruhi, and that is that she definitely has a way with persuading people. Any manner of threats seems to be sufficient for her, though she blackmails others much more.

"Yes…..Brigade Chief. We'll be getting back to our posts." One of the Kyons said feebly, and it was easy to see that the rest were already beginning to back down after hearing Haruhi's declaration. It was obvious that although these Kyons seemed so defiant on the outside, they had been quick to show their weak, easily broken shells once they were faced with opposition.

Wow. They really are copies of me. But personally I don't think I suck up to Haruhi that much…

"Good. Full speed ahead! Separate the fleet, and make sure that any stragglers are vaporized immediately. We don't need ships that can't listen to my orders correctly." Haruhi announced, sitting back in the command chair as a devilish smile began to form on her face.

Is she insane? What do you mean separate the fleet? What the hell is she saying when she mentioned vaporizing slower ships? Suzumiya-san is going to just get us all killed!

"What are you doing?!? You're leaving us completely open to attack! You just want us to lose before we even started?!?" I told Suzumiya-san, but she seemed to just generally ignore my pleas, and continue facing forward in the command chair as she watched a large part of the fleet's ships zoom ahead of the rest.

"Be quiet, Kyon. I'm in charge now, and I know what I'm doing. Go find something to do. I'll call you when I need you." Haruhi told me, and it was clear that I had been shut up at this point. Haruhi neither wanted my input, nor did she want me to stick around. I was beginning to feel useless and unwanted. And with all this coming from my supposed girlfriend, these were not good things to be feeling at all.

And so, I walked out of the large command bridge, discontented and annoyed. I had command of an entire starship fleet for a total of ten minutes, before Suzumiya-san came in and took it over like nothing. What the hell was I supposed to do now? Sleep?

Surprisingly, I managed to pass right by what looked like a very nice captain's room as I walked down the hallway that led out of the command bridge. It was adequately furnished, and the bed that lay smack in the middle looked very comfortable to my eyes.

Suzumiya-san said that I should find something to do. With command of my ship now having been lost to her and my only other option being to watch Suzumiya-san lead us to doom, sleep seemed like a good thing. I figured that if we happened to get obliterated by an unknown enemy fleet, I could at least get vaporized while I was sleeping, and I hopefully wouldn't feel a thing.

And so I lay down on the comfortable bed, which felt like laying on the surface of a puffy cloud. It seemed to just absorb all the stress flowing through my body, and it was safe to say that I fell asleep before I could even take off the blue cap on my head.

I guess I've been more tired than I previously though. I definitely don't get enough sleep for a teenager.

"Get up, you idiot!"

The voice was unmistakable, and my eyes opened before I could tell them not to. I sat up, rubbing the back of my head, and finding myself face to face with a determined looking Haruhi. Her face was extremely close to mine, but this was normal between us now, so I didn't blush or overreact as usual.

"What is it? I was taking a nap." I said, still groggy even though I assumed that I probably got thirty minutes of dreamless sleep at most.

"Well, I got bored while you were sleeping. The rest of my subordinates are taking us on the right course, but I have no reason to watch over them until something actually happens." Suzumiya-san said to me, her voice right in my face and extremely bothersome. I find it quite amazing that she can sing so well.

"So what do you need me for then? Can't I just go back to sleep?" I asked, obviously annoyed with her for waking me up in the first place. Not surprisingly, I wasn't too much in the mood to even be talking to her right now. Something about Suzumiya-san has been coming off wrong lately, and I'm already becoming very skeptical over the nature of our relationship.

I felt Suzumiya-san grab me roughly by the collar, and before I could react, she pulled me hard so we were face to face. Her glare burned into my very soul, but her voice was low as she spoke.

"I need you for something."

"What is it? Is it even important?" I asked, and it was safe to say that I was getting pissed off enough not to want to even hear what Haruhi had to say. Whatever it was, I expected that it was just idiotic.

"Just shut up and enjoy it." She told me, pushing me back so I landed right on the bed behind me again. My face was already wrought with confusion. What's gotten into this girl? What the hell is she going to do to me this time?

When I watched Haruhi reach for the bottom of her red uniform, my eyes dilated to an unhealthy size, and I was already beginning to realize what she had in store for me. I backed up a little bit, still very confused as my words came out quickly and jumbled.

"What are you doing?" I said nervously, and I think I could feel a bead of sweat already beginning to come down my brow. Is Haruhi serious?

That question was a stupid one, be it in my brain or not. Suzumiya-san took no time in answering my question, pulling off her red uniform top and nearly ripping it in the process, and therefore completely revealing the orange bra she had been wearing underneath. The sight of her like this caused multiple blood vessels to pop in my nose. Suzumiya-san was not as well-endowed as Mikuru, but she had assets just like any other beautiful girl her age. But don't ask me to compare such a thing. It's not like I've seen much beyond that one magazine of mine that continues to remain hidden away in my hallway closet.

I should have remembered that Haruhi is always dead serious. No matter what.

"What are you gawking at? I should have figured that guys can't think of anything else besides what's under a girl's shirt. And I thought you were ahead of the curb, Kyon." Suzumiya-san said nonchalantly, with her red uniform top now a discarded item on the floor.

What do you mean that's all I think of? You're the one who just decided to start taking off your clothes out of nowhere!

"Get those off! You're not going to need them for what you're going to be doing." Haruhi told me, pointing an almost accusing finger at my pants. I already didn't like where this was going.

I'm not ready to just do this kind of thing with Suzumiya-san. I mean, of course it's come up in my dreams, but that's different! She just expects us to get past first base so early? We've only been together for a few weeks! At least, all this feels way too early to me.

God, this girl is really impatient. I should be enjoying this. In fact, I should be screaming in joy that I'm literally about to sleep with this eccentric beautiful girl in front of me.

But I wasn't doing any such thing. Someone like Taniguchi would leap at the opportunity like a starving shark. With Haruhi just presenting herself like this for me, I somehow felt myself becoming inadequate. I just couldn't do this. Something didn't feel right at all.

"Did you hear what I said? Get the pants off now!"

I narrowed my eyes and put on a serious expression. What I planned on saying next wasn't going to make Haruhi very happy.

"No. I'm not some puppet for you to play around with whenever you feel like it." I said to her, and her expression changed to even more impatient looking and annoyed. She was obviously becoming more discontent by the minute in response to my attitude. Her hands went to her hips, and our faces became very close as we became eye-to-eye. I will admit that it took some self-control to stop myself from looking down below Haruhi's face.

"Listen Kyon. I have desires that need to be fulfilled. I'm not in the mood to hear your whining. Either you listen, or I'm just going to have my way with you anyway!"

Wait a second. Is she threatening to rape me or something? This is getting insane! What did I do to myself when I decided to start going out with this girl? What the hell was I thinking?

Alarm klaxons seem to begin blaring throughout the ship at this surprisingly convenient time. Red lights flashed around us in the spacious room, and Haruhi was obviously getting annoyed by the sound enough to put her hands to her ears. I didn't do the same, taking a moment to silently admire her figure. Very out of place, but I guess I couldn't help it.

"Brigade Chief! We need you at the bridge immediately! There are unknown ships approaching our space! I repeat! Unknown ships are inbound!" the voice of a Kyon said, and I watched Haruhi look up with an expression on her face that was probably meant to be a mixture of disgust, impatience, anger and annoyance.

I think luck had been on my side for once. I had just narrowly avoided being literally raped by Suzumiya-san. Or some sort of equivalent. I guess it's safe to say that I was seriously beginning to question our relationship now. Unless of course she was only doing this because she believed us to just be in a game simulation. At this point, I couldn't be sure.

"Unknown ships? They have some nerve coming up on us now!" Haruhi said out loud, obvious discontent in her voice. While she wasn't looking, I wiped sweat off my brow. That was beyond intense.

I guess I'm not feeling to great right now. Haruhi has some energy she needs to get out, and somehow she finds me to be her reliever. Is that what she thinks dating is all about? Forcing someone else to submit to your orders? I think that while she has dated many guys in the school, she hasn't actually taken enough time on any one to realize what it means to be someone else's significant other.

I sighed as I stood up, and Haruhi began to silently put her red uniform top. Even though she nearly forced me into sleeping with her, I guess I have to admit that she's really well endowed in that special area that all girls have. I don't think I need to go explaining any of it to you. And I know that sounds perverted, but it's true.

Maybe I'm just a real idiot for not taking up on her offer. Or maybe I'm really ahead of the curb like she said.

I sighed again. What a ridiculously crazy life I happen to lead.


	11. Chapter 11

**And another chapter comes! I'd like to just say one thing to every single one of my readers. If you are normally a shadow reader, that's fine, and I ask for no reviews. However, if you are reading this, and you DON'T like it or something about it, the PLEASE review and tell me all your criticisms. I don't want to feel like I'm doing something wrong unless I really am. On another note, I would not expect another chapter for an unknown amount of time, because I have quite a lot going on in the next two weeks. If I can get one in, I will, but otherwise, you'll just have to wait till I find the time. All that aside, enjoy this one!**

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The alarm klaxons continued to loudly and annoyingly blare throughout the entire flagship, signifying that there was some sort of attack imminent. Bright red lights flashed on and off, making Haruhi look almost demonic as she wore a very impatient and discontent expression on her face. I guess I should expect her to be extremely pissed at this point.

Getting straight to the point, I literally told Haruhi that I really didn't want partake in the specific activity she had planned for us in this lonely room on the main flagship of the blue starship fleet. Suzumiya-san really is quite the instigator and intimidator, and I almost have the feeling that if those alarms didn't go off, I would be doing some not-so PG rated things, with or without my own consent.

I brushed myself off a bit after getting up from the bed, and I fixed the blue cap on my head despite the fact that it looked ridiculous on me either way. The alarms continued to go on and off in sequence, and clearly the Brigade Chief was needed at the command bridge. Without so much as a sorry or anything that could constitute as an apology for her behavior, Haruhi forcibly grabbed my hand.

"Let's go! Those idiots are going to get us killed if I'm not telling them what to do!" Suzumiya-san exclaimed, and it wasn't long before we were in an unnecessary sprint towards the command bridge. Haruhi's hand had the usually powerful grip on mine, so I knew escape from her was out of the question at this point.

You shouldn't be one to talk about getting other people killed because of irresponsibility, Haruhi. You've been guilty of that crime more times then I can count.

It only took us a few minutes to actually reach the command bridge again, and the alarm klaxons did not to cease even after we arrived. As I finally wrenched myself away from Haruhi's grip, I looked down to see that the many Kyons were punching in numbers and commands into the many control consoles like computer geeks on stimulants. They seemed quite panicked, actually. I guess that means that it's only a matter of time before I start reacting the same way.

"What's going on? I want a full status report! Where's the enemy? Charge up the super proton cannons! Fire at everything you see! Do it now, you idiots!" Haruhi screamed in righteous fury to the Kyons below her, and it was at this point that I could not just stand by and let us get killed. They seemed much panicked themselves, typing in numbers and calculations at an unnaturally fast pace, and I could see many of them sweating nervously as they were forced to listen to Haruhi's orders.

"What's wrong with you? We're going to get killed if you tell them to do that!" I said to our obviously impatient Brigade Chief, who glared at me. It's as if I had pulled out the wrong plug, and Haruhi was getting beyond pissed about it.

"You're in no place to be telling me what I can and can't do, Kyon. If I want to get a full status report, then I better be getting a full status report, or heads will roll!"

Okay. Something is very, very wrong. I can't seem to figure out why Haruhi is acting so angry and pissed lately. I haven't done anything to piss her off that much, and I know when she's genuinely angry like this, it obviously means something is up. Her tone of voice is more dead serious than usual, and the glare in her eyes is almost beginning to signify hate.

I don't get it. This girl has some sort of depression or personality disorder. Her mood changes are sporadic and unpredictable, and I really don't know how longer I'm going to be able to deal with it. I don't want a girlfriend who will act all sweet to me one day, and then become a dominating queen the next.

It's clear to me that something between us in being pulled apart faster than someone would pull a sticky piece of bubble gum off the bottom of their shoe. Suzumiya-san clearly has no set concept of love in her mind, despite the fact that Koizumi had been the first to mention to me that she was in fact in love with me some weeks ago.

But this isn't love! Trying to rape me, constantly degrading me, insulting me, ordering me around like a personal slave; none of those things should be happening in a healthy, normal or enjoyable relationship! I'm not a desperate to get a woman like Taniguchi is. I won't stick with Suzumiya-san because I need to have a girl on my arm to look good to everyone else. No, I want to stick with her because I have this constant throbbing feeling in my heart whenever I'm around her. A feeling that seems to just be declining every passing second I've been spending with her recently…

"Brigade Chief. Our scouts have spotted a large enemy fleet deeper in this space. Something is wrong with our navigation systems. Our distances can't be triangulated." One of the Kyons said from below, interrupting my own thought patterns. This Kyon in question sounded nervous, and I could only guess why.

"What do you mean something's wrong? Idiots! Fix it! Fix it before I use you all as live ammunition!" Haruhi roared down like a tyrant to the diligently working Kyons, who seemed to just become more panicked as their leader threatened them even more. I was basically on standby at this time, because I wasn't really in the mood to argue with Suzumiya-san any longer. It would just be relatively useless to do such a thing at this point, especially considering the kind of mood she was in right now.

"We're trying, but we can't get any accurate coordinates. The unknown fleet is approaching fast. We've yet to determine if they're hostile…" one of the Kyons said as he read right off a display screen in front of him. They did seem to be trying their best.

"What do you mean you've yet to determine it? Of course they're hostile, you morons! Activate all the ship's laser batteries! Maximize our power output to the super proton cannons! Gather the fleet to power up their weapons too! I want those enemy ships wiped out of space!"

This is truly one crazy girl. My mind was glossing over why Haruhi's fleet has so mysteriously been revealed to be a conglomeration of useless, derelict ships. I was already imagining that these same ships had probably been manned by multiple Suzumiya-sans, who probably couldn't agree on anything and ended up killing each other and leaving unmanned, unpowered ships in their wake. I wouldn't be surprised, considering how abnormally controlling this Haruhi is being. I believe that this is much worse than usual. I hope she's only doing this because she really believes this to all be a game simulation.

Before any of the Kyons could comply with Haruhi's insane orders, a large holographic screen came up right beside Suzumiya-san. It depicted none other than Itsuki Koizumi, and he had a very serious expression on his face as he spoke to our Brigade Chief directly.

"We have a problem, Suzumiya-san. Multiple unknown fleets are approaching our space, and it seems they've figured out how to jam our navigation systems. I've been unable to pinpoint where they are in the space ahead, but we've been able to read their energy signatures and realize their presence. They are approaching fast."

Haruhi crossed her arms, and she seemed impatient and wanting to just find a reason to blow something up. I'm sure if there was some sort of small moon or the like that Haruhi could perceive as in her way, then she would find a reason to use the blue fleet's destructive power to annihilate it from space.

"Prepare yourselves. We leave no survivors, and we take no prisoners! The SOS Brigade will not provide mercy to these interlopers!"

I'm starting to believe that perhaps the only reason that Suzumiya-san is becoming so adamant about destroying these opponents of ours is because of the fact that they essentially ruined what might have happened between us back in that room. They ruined….her fantasy, I would guess.

Another screen popped up on the other side of Suzumiya-san, and it displayed the emotionless alien face of Nagato-san. I assumed that the alien had everything on her fleet under control down to the smallest of details. A ship of Yukis would certainly be silent and efficient.

"There are foreign fleets approaching. They do not show any sign of stopping, and based on the amount of energy their ships are stockpiling, it can be inferred that they are hostile and that they intend to eradicate us. Further action will be taken by this fleet to prevent the loss of ships due to human error." She said, not blinking or changing her tone of voice the entire time.

Haruhi's eyes seemed to just light up when Nagato-san had basically supported our Brigade Chief's accusation that the new fleets coming our way were hostile. I had assumed they were hostile myself, but I wasn't one to just immediately go in and try to destroy them. In fact, I would be one to be more diplomatic. Perhaps we could find some sort of alternative beyond destroying each other with our starship fleets.

"Full speed ahead! I want those ships found and targeted. We're going to wipe them out before they even get the chance to turn and run!"

With those words, the Kyons increased the ship's velocity to its maximum, and the flagship went forward with renewed speed as the rest of the starship fleet followed. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't beginning to get extremely worried about the nature of the situation in front of us. If Suzumiya-san kept leading us like this, than it wouldn't be long until our fleets were reduced to smoldering space junk.

We went like this for the next five minutes, and everything remained relatively silent in the large command room of the ship, minus the sound of the Kyons working diligently on their computers below us. Haruhi had her arms crossed, and her amber eyes were focused in an angry glare at the huge glass window that revealed a view of the cold, empty space in front of our flagship. Everything felt like it was lurching forward, and if I had a watch, I probably would be checking the time out of a suddenly growing melancholy.

All of sudden, yet another holographic screen came up, and it depicted the cute innocent face of none other than Asahina-san. As the screen came into view, I found myself wondering why I did not choose her over Haruhi. It was really simple when you got down to it. Asahina-san is nice, kind and not at all controlling. She's a direct opposite to Suzumiya-san, if you ask me.

"S-Suzumiya-san….there are some big ships near my fleet. Should we fire at them?"

I figured that Asahina-san would be so naïve and sweet-minded that she would have to ask if it was necessary to fire at the enemy fleet in front of her. Haruhi would probably destroy any ships that she could fire at in her impatient rampage. I was already imagining her using the last of our fleet to blow apart any allied ships that might come to save us.

"Of course you should, Mikuru-chan! Give them all you got! But I want to see what these enemies look like first. Send us a screen capture of their fleet!" Haruhi said to the holographic screen in a loud, obnoxious voice, putting her face full up in front of the display.

"Okay…" Mikuru-chan answered back in a quiet, soft voice, and a few seconds passed before a much larger screen appeared right above Suzumiya-san's head. It caught her attention immediately, and I found myself gazing at it as well.

In this holographic display, multiple ships could clearly be seen. They almost looked like giant wasps floating through space, mostly because of the bright orange color that the ships had on their shiny external plating. They floated ominously forward, and even their faster scout ships showed no signs of unnecessary maneuvers or movement. I might go so far as saying that they all looked clearly computer controlled.

Far behind these many battleships and cruisers, I could see what looked like a truly gargantuan space ship. Actually, I realize that I confused it for a moving planet at first. It was a truly huge bright orange metal orb, and it floated right behind many of the ships that were part of its fleet.

It was a truly massive sight to behold, even though the specific screen capture that we were being shown did not have the best detail. Nevertheless, I could spot multiple laser batteries, cannons, and all type of other destructive weapons dotted all over this massive, planet-like ship. The center of this massive vessel was concave, and it looked like it was built almost like a giant hive complex. I don't know what exactly, but something about this orb-ship feeling very much like copyright infringement.

Either way, I found myself quickly realizing that this ship was undoubtedly being commanded by the very same glowing orange orb that sent us all here in the first place. Its goals were beginning to become clearer and clearer by the second. It seemed to want to annihilate us, considering the size of its massive fleet. What a surprise…

A holographic screen showing Koizumi's face came up faster than either I or Haruhi could register. In the instant it appeared, we could hear booms emanating from his side of the communication display, and there were many flashing lights going on and off behind him.

"We are under attack by a splinter fleet. They ambushed us. We are holding up, but the fleet is losing more and more ships by the second, Suzumiya-san." Koizumi said, with no sign of worry or panic in his voice. I really wonder how he stays so calm during so many events such as these.

"The battle has begun! Just keep yourself alive, Koizumi-kun. I'm going to take the fight right to them! Head straight for their flagship! We're going to wipe it out and win this war before they even know we're upon them!" Haruhi exclaimed, and our course was abruptly changed to be set towards the fleet that contained the large orb flagship.

"Suzumiya-san!!! We're getting attacked! They're destroying all my ships! This game isn't fair!" Mikuru-chan whined as a holographic screen depicting her face came up again right beside Koizumi's. The same explosions and flashing lights were coming from her screen, and I was already beginning to infer that this orb was easily commanding multiple fleets at once.

Micro-management in a game like this was very hard for normal humans to do, and the only one out of all of us that I've seen successfully micromanage was Nagato-san. But she's a humanoid interface with an alien mind, so I assume that such a thing is easy for her.

"Don't let them wipe you out before this has begun, Mikuru-chan! Anyone who accepts defeat so easily will be punished to the highest degree! I'll personally destroy your fleet if you try to retreat! We stand together as a Brigade, or we fall together as a Brigade!" Suzumiya-san stated, leaving Asahina-san with nothing to do beyond fighting back as best as she possibly could. In another few seconds, Koizumi's, Nagato-san's and Asahina-san's screens zapped off, leaving us to divert our attention back to the war at hand.

Multiple explosions caused the flagship to shake violently, and I nearly fell over on my backside from the impacts. The Kyons below were getting more panicked than ever, and I didn't have to hear what one of them had to yell out to realize what was going on.

"We're under attack! They've completely ambushed us!"

I think most of us would have figured that out by now, genius. It was clear that the orb was cheating in this game. It knew where we were, but we couldn't pinpoint the locations of its ships because it figured out a way to screw up our navigation. It was like we were playing in fog of war, and the enemy wasn't. Funny, because that's the exact same strategy that the President of the Computer Research Society had used against us when we had originally challenged him in this game.

"Fire everything! And destroy everything else that gets in our way! I want those enemies turned into space dust! Do it now, you idiots!"

I think this was the point in time where I could not stand by and let Suzumiya-san control the ship and get us killed. I walked right behind the brown-haired girl, putting a hand on her shoulder and speaking loudly and firmly.

"You're leading us down a path of destruction. Give up the fleet to me before you really get us all killed, Haruhi." I said with a serious tone and a strong voice. If I was lucky, then perhaps Suzumiya-san might actually listen to me and I might get through to her for once. Maybe it wasn't too late to stop this battle from becoming a complete and utter defeat for us.

Haruhi turned around, and I could see what clearly looked like hate and anger in her amber eyes. I had no idea what reason she had to be mad at me, beyond the fact that I had insulted her ability as a commander. Even still, I had no time to register the sensation of her fist crashing into the bridge of my nose, and I went falling back from the hard impact, right on the metal floor below me.

Everything was spinning, and warm blood was coming down from nose like a red fountain. My nose felt like a cinderblock had been dropped on it, and I was already contemplating that Suzumiya-san had probably broken it. She really does have quite the punch. Now I know how Taniguchi felt. And there was no doubt now that this certainly wasn't any kind of simulation as Haruhi might have thought, because unknown to her, this pain was very real.

"You're not taking this ship from me, Kyon. Nobody is!"

She's really gone mad. No, she's gone insane. Just why the hell did Haruhi see the need to punch me in the face? What the hell is wrong with this crazy girl's brain?

That's it. I'm officially done with this self-induced insanity. I'm done being ordered around like a slave. I'm done with Suzumiya-san's outbursts. I'm done with Haruhi! We're finished, over and no more! As anti-climatic as I might sound, I know that what I'm saying is true.

"You've gone mad. I'm not going to date a girl who's just going to keep pushing me around like this. I'm done with you, Haruhi. I'm done with your attitude, and with the way you treat me." I said, loud and clear, even though a large explosion managed to nearly drown out the last part. I had stood up at this point, and the fear of being hurt in some way by Haruhi was beginning to dissipate. I find it amazing that I managed to get all the things I was thinking out in those words.

In Haruhi's perspective, she probably thought that she could just treat me however the hell she wanted here, since she perceives it as being in a game simulation. I was surprised when I watched her eyes dilate in surprise, and the scowl that had originally been on her face just disappear. She looked utterly confused, with innocence in her eyes that could truly rival Asahina-san.

"What did you say?" she choked out, and it I could see her eyes shimmering as they readied themselves for tears.

My eyes narrowed as I spoke, and I made sure to speak clearly.

"I'm breaking up with you, Haruhi. Even though you haven't really treated me like much of an actual boyfriend in the first place."

You know what? I think I have to admit now that what I just said to Suzumiya-san sounded incredibly cheesy. I mean, it sounded like it belonged in a really badly written romance novel or something.

But that entirely aside, I think it got my point across to Suzumiya-san. She certainly looked like she understood, and the metal floor had become very interesting to the gaze of this beautiful girl. I don't know why I didn't feel sorry for her, but I knew that the anger and dissension she's been directing towards me has caused me to slowly lose attraction to her. In fact, it had almost been like a sudden revelation.

When I saw Haruhi's face twist into an indescribable anger, I guess I expected some sort of physical violence to be coming right my way.

And I was right, as that physical violence came in the form of an incredibly powerful kick to my unprotected groin. I was down on my knees in an instant, and a girlish scream emanated out of my mouth as I held my classified package in excruciating pain. It's safe to say that such a thing like this was only causing me to dislike Haruhi more than I already did right now. She didn't say a word to me after kicking me in my private place, and as the explosions continued around us, and the fleet took damage left and right, she walked past me and headed for the hallway that led out of the command bridge. I guess that's her way of getting me back for not sleeping with her before. God, that's just evil, if you ask me.

I really don't know what the expression on Suzumiya-san's face might have been, but I neglected to care about it as I got myself up and made sure all my reproductive systems were intact. I think Haruhi should definitely consider playing on the soccer team long-term. I doubt any other girl would deliver such a high-powered kick after being told she had been dumped.

"The enemy ships are coming closer, Brigade Chief. I think they may be boarding. What do you suggest we do?" one of the Kyons said, turning to see where Haruhi had gone. Unfortunately, she had already left, and they only spotted me, with my legs slightly apart since I was still in a lot of pain from that kick of hers.

"General Kyon? Are you commanding us now?" the same Kyon asked, raising an eyebrow as his voice sounded a little excited at the notion that I was in command of the ship once again.

There were multiple things going through my mind. The rumbling of laser fire destroying parts of our fleet wasn't so much messing with my thoughts, nor was the rocking sensation of the exploding starships not so far away from the flagship.

No, I was contemplating if breaking up with Haruhi during an awkward time like this was such a good thing. Now that I realize it, I noticed that what I had said came out brash and very rushed. In a few moments, I could disappear in a blink of an eye. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if I was already beginning to slowly disintegrate. It's a wonder Haruhi did not enact what Nagato-san had called "total data eradication" on me yet.

"General Kyon?"

I snapped back to reality when I was addressed again. The enemy ships were purposely coming in closer to the ships of our fleet, and I assumed that the notion of them wanting to board our flagship was probably correct. This new game probably had many features and added tactics we were unaware of, and that the mysterious orange orb was very aware of.

"Let's try to keep them away from us. Call all fighters to swarm the larger ships. If we're lucky, we can cripple most of the bigger threats so it becomes easier to handle any of their smaller fast-moving vessels. I want all super proton cannons directed at their largest ships. Reroute our power to shields as well, and make sure all docking bays and hangars of these ships are locked down completely. They aren't boarding us on my watch."

"Acknowledged, sir!" the Kyon in question replied, saluting me before he took his seat again. I found myself heading back towards my command chair, and I reluctantly sat down in it.

I guess I'm going to have to try and get Haruhi off my mind now. That doesn't seem so hard, however. She walked off to God knows where, and I didn't do anything to stop her.

I guess that makes me a terrible person. No, it doesn't. If I keep insulting myself like this, than I'll find myself just falling love with the stupid girl all over again.

"Kyon." A voice said from beside me, and Koizumi was speaking again, his face looking more serious than ever. I assumed that being in a life or death space battle does that to most.

"Are you having trouble on your end?"

"Their ships are far more heavily armored than ours. This battle will be a difficult one to win."

"Tell me about it."

"You don't sound too happy. Do you know where Suzumiya-san went?"

"She needed to let out some steam, I think."

I sighed. Koizumi was probably going to find out what I said to her sooner or later, and then he'll scold me about it before the universe falls apart because of her uncontrollable emotions.

At least I know that this time it really is my entire fault. No, it's completely my fault. I'm such a pessimist, aren't I? That's just yet another bad habit that I need to shake off. Eventually…..


	12. Chapter 12

**Well, after my week long hiatus, I'm back! You didn't think I'd stay away for too long, did you? Sorry about the slowness in updating. With college coming in the fall, I see myself only getting two chapters a week instead of the usual every other day stuff that I do. But I do not intend on giving up on these stories! I have too many readers to give up! All that aside, I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)**

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With so many things happening at once, it really is a wonder how I managed to stay so calm and collected through it all. Like I've said before, I have to admit that in most situations, I usually end up being the one who panics first, despite appearing as if I have the situation under control. I think I have a problem when it comes to worrying too much. Or maybe I'm just imagining it…

But in all respects, that was not the case this time around. This time around, I was not shaking in my pants or caught in a state of paranoia, even though my starship fleet was clearly being attacked by an enemy we could barely pinpoint. It was an enemy that was essentially cheating in the same way that the Computer Society President had cheated against us in Day of Sagittarius III some time ago. What a coincidence…

In all respects, it was a losing battle.

"We're outnumbered three to one, General Kyon!" one of my duplicates exclaimed in panic, sweat easily visible on his brow as his eyes scanned the computer screen in front of him. Many of the other Kyons were panicking in a similar fashion, though I could see that they really were trying their best to keep the ship going at the same time.

We're outnumbered three to one? What a surprise! I should have known that we would be presented with such unfair circumstances. It just seems natural at a time like this, or in any situation where Suzumiya-san is involved. I sighed.

Suzumiya-san. Thoughts of the same loud-mouthed, amber-eyed, brown-haired girl entered my mind like a flurry of sharp pointy sticks, and I tried my best to rush any images of her out of my brain in a timely fashion.

In a dire predicament like this, I really don't think I need to have my mind wrapped around Haruhi. It's too stressful, not to mention the fact that I basically just broke up with the crazy girl only minutes ago. There's a battle to win right now, and reminding myself just how much I might have emotionally hurt Suzumiya-san will only deter me from winning it!

A loud explosion nearly rocked me out of my command chair, and I felt myself now holding onto it for dear life. The Kyons below were frantically typing into consoles and keyboards, and in the windows all around us, ships from our fleet burst apart into balls of light and fire like exploding stars.

Now we were obviously losing. Without a doubt.

"We're not going to let up! Separate all ships in our proximity, and have them get into a v-formation around us! This battle is not over yet!" I stated to my subordinates, in the most inspiring voice I could muster. Of course, I have to make it clear the fear was quickly brewing in my stomach as fast as a cup of Asahina-san's fantastic tea might brew. Even still, I did not dare let myself falter, or the other Kyons might truly just surrender now.

Explosions and flashing lights ran amok around us, followed by rumbling explosions, and I wished in my heart that we were hopefully at least causing some damage to the much larger enemy fleet that had ambushed us. I couldn't actually tell if we were, so I just assumed some of the many explosions had to have come from at least some of the enemy ships. This assumption could be completely wrong, of course.

The situation seemed to look more and more dire by the second, especially judging from how frantic all the Kyons were becoming.

"You definitely seem troubled. I can easily infer that it has something to do with Suzumiya-san." A voice said to me, and it was only then that I realized that Koizumi had in fact been watching my actions this entire time. Well, he had been watching to a certain point, but he had been watching nonetheless. It's really creepy when you get down to it.

"Don't bother me about Haruhi right now. Can't you see that we have a realistic space battle to win here? Or are you blind of the entire situation around us?" I responded in an annoyed tone, partially because it was my poor attempt at driving the subject away from the topic of Suzumiya-san.

I can't say I liked seeing Koizumi smile at me. If there is one thing he probably shouldn't have done, it would have been the act of giving me that stupid plastic smile of his. I did my best not to grimace in anger at this, and I let him speak as usual.

"I am aware of this situation. My fleet seems to be holding up, though the enemy clearly has an advantage against us in this battle. I predict that I will have to pull away from the attacking fleet soon. My resources in this battle are rapidly depleting."

Well that's certainly a surprise, coming from Itsuki. I never imagined he would plan on giving up so easily. I admire his reason, for once. I, on the other hand, am lacking reason right now, and I do not intend to give up just yet.

"Well I'm not going to stand around and lose this! I'm sick of always having to take the brunt of everything! I'm taking this chance to kick some ass already!" I shouted back at the screen that showed Koizumi's face in front of me, and the tone of my voice was easily able to wipe the smile off of his face. I turned away from him, gripping onto the arm rests of my command chair tightly as I barked out orders to the Kyons below.

"Power up the super proton cannons to maximum! Drain all our excess power if you have to! Just do it so we can give them a taste of destruction!!!"

I guess it's safe to say that I sounded just like Haruhi right there. In fact, I could have sounded exactly like her is I had added "you morons!" at the end of the first sentence.

"There's something wrong with Suzumiya-san, isn't there?"

As much as I hated to admit it, Koizumi was very much right in what he said to me. My hands lessened their grip on the arm rests, and I sat up a little bit in my chair. More explosions could be heard like a kind of sick ambience in the background. I could already see burnt wreckage floating pass up in the space ahead. I sighed, and then answered Koizumi in a not-so-enthusiastic voice.

"Somewhat. I don't really want to talk about it…"

I guess it was this time where the guilt and pain began to dawn upon me. As innocently as Koizumi had asked me this question, I still managed to feel like he was trying to stab me through the heart with a cold rusty pike. The truly furious look that Suzumiya-san had given me not long before was coming back into my brain like a speeding bullet.

"Where is Suzumiya-san? Did you say something to offend her? That would be most unwise in a situation like this." Koizumi asked, with a tone that signified innocence. Even still, I felt like he was hiding some sort of ulterior motive in his voice. It was like he was slowly trying to feed me poison.

I looked away from Koizumi, batting my eyes for a moment. What was I supposed to say to him? Hey Koizumi! I just broke up with Haruhi, and now the universe is going to fall apart in no time! The world works in strange ways, doesn't it?

Of course I couldn't tell him something like that. But what the hell was I supposed to say to him now?

I sighed to myself once again, and spoke calmly to the esper boy whose face remained on the holographic screen beside me. My mind seemed to sink deeper and deeper into a dark abyss with every passing second.

"I told Haruhi I was sick of her and her attitude. I just dumped her, I guess."

The last part made me gulp. What could Koizumi say in response to something like this? For as long as I've known this self-proclaimed esper, he has always been one to inform of me of the consequences of my actions, along with the consequences of Suzumiya-san's actions. He seems to always know everything there is to know about Haruhi, and I can't help but realize how stalker-ish that sounds. The guy can easily creep me out whenever he wants to.

For a few seconds, there was a silence between us that was only interrupted by the sound of explosions in the background. Despite our conversation, the space battle around our fleets did not cease, and I assumed that I could become space dust in any of the coming moments.

"You do realize what've you've done, haven't you?"

"Yeah, I do. There's no need to rub it in." I replied, mostly because I really didn't like the way Koizumi was beginning to sound. I really don't need him telling me all the things I've done wrong, and how screwed we all are. I get that kind of hint already.

"This isn't something to joke about. What you've done might have essentially doomed us all. I myself have been noticing drastic changes in Suzumiya-san's behavior lately. She's become more irritable and less enthusiastic. It's very alarming to watch, actually."

The sound of this esper's voice was comparable to a loud intercom. It was biting at me like a cold ice, clearly because of the fact that this entire situation with Haruhi was essentially my fault. I was the one who got angry with her attitude and I was the one who invariably dumped her. There's really no one else to blame at this point.

"You don't need to go telling me. You're not the one who's had to take the brunt of her rage this entire time. I don't even know if I can still have any children anymore…" I said to Koizumi, the sound of another explosion bouncing through my eardrum as I remembered the feeling of Haruhi giving me such a powerful kick to the groin. Not the best feeling in the world at all.

"You're not taking any of this seriously." Koizumi stated seriously, narrowing his eyes.

"Well, it's not my main focus right now."

"Not your main focus? Suzumiya-san could be ripping reality apart any moment now. Her emotional state is going to put us all on the verge of apocalypse. If we don't do something now, then we really are all do-"

I'd had enough of Koizumi's ranting at that point. With the simple push of a button from my white-gloved finger, I shut off the communication line with Koizumi's fleet. I was sick of hearing his scolding, even though I knew it would have eventually come this entire time. Even still, it felt good to finally shut that esper up for once. It actually felt really, really good. A definite plus in my book.

"General Kyon! We're being surrounded by multiple fleets at once! They've come out of nowhere! We can barely triangulate any of their locations!"

The panicked shouts of the Kyons below was more than enough to bring me out of my own thoughts, and I looked into the window ahead of all of us, my eyes dilating as I did.

As the Kyon in question had stated, we truly were outnumbered and surrounded at this point. Thousands of the orange ships were converging on our position like moths to a fire, and I only assumed that they had pulled out of whatever they were currently attacking, and now were ready to focus their firepower on us. I had no idea where the large command orb-ship might be, but frankly, I really didn't want to know.

"General Kyon…they've surrounded us…and they don't seem to be doing anything…" one of my duplicates said, and everything suddenly became very quiet around us. I could easily tell that these many Kyons were very scared right now, however. I was afraid as well, though it took every fiber in my body not to show it.

Without warning, another holo-screen popped up beside me, and I instantly assumed that it would be none other than Koizumi. There's no doubt that the esper would be angry with me for just hanging up on him, and I should prepare myself for a long lecture before these surrounding enemy ships annihilate us.

But upon turning to acknowledge the appearance of the holographic screen, I saw that it was actually Yuki Nagato, who showed no sign of worry or concern on her face, as usual. There were no explosions going off in the windows behind her, at least from what I could see. Chances are that the ships surrounding us were probably comprised from every fleet that had been previously fighting the rest of the SOS Brigade.

"Nagato-san? What's going on?" I asked the light-haired alien, who responded to me in the same monotone voice that she always used.

"The data entity is focusing its attention on you and Suzumiya-san. All other distractions have been deemed unimportant. Your fleet is being targeted as we converse. Destruction of your fleet is commencing."

With those exact words that Nagato-san said, explosions and burst of all kinds suddenly erupted around us like a symphony of destruction. The Kyons below were screaming in panic like little girls, and only a few of them were able to hold in some resolve and continue in keeping the flagship running. I couldn't speak. My mind felt like jelly as I listened to the chorus of destruction around us. The orange fleet's ships seemed to be firing just about every laser battery and missile that they could fire, and it was easy to tell that our fleet was clearly being decimated by the second. I thought about Suzumiya-san, and found myself wondering where she was on this ship, and if she was okay.

After a few more minutes, the sounds of destruction had ceased. We remained alive, and I would have usually chuckled when I saw some of the Kyons coming out from underneath seats, looking back and forth and taking in the fact that they were still alive. Unfortunately, this was not a time for laughing. This was serious.

"They are targeting your power supply. The enemy will be boarding your ship with intent on finding-"

As if the gods truly wanted my demise, Nagato-san's holo-screen precisely disappeared right before she could say her last words. I cursed loudly at the fact, slamming my hand down on the armrest of my command chair. My teeth were gritted, and it was clear that this made me very angry and beyond pissed.

A moment later, the lights of the ship seemed to instantly dim. Everything became black tint, and as I stood up, I could barely see the outlines of the Kyons below. Cold space was visible in the windows around us, along with the shapes that represented the vast amount of orange enemy ships that surrounded us. Whatever this was, I knew it didn't sound good.

"They've cut off our main power supply. Activating emergency power now." One of the Kyons said, and it was easy to tell that this one had a little bit more of a spine than the rest. Wiping a bit of sweat on my brow, I found myself waiting for the inevitable.

A loud series of alarms began to loudly blare throughout the entire ship, followed by multiple rumbling vibrations that nearly knocked me over. Emergency power came on, producing white lights that dotted the area enough for us to somewhat see. The alarm klaxons continued, and my mind raced like a runaway train as this all went on all around me.

"General Kyon! Enemy units are boarding us!"

I didn't turn to see which Kyon said this. I didn't really notice the fact that the Kyons seemed to be taking up arms as well. As if this was another feature of the game we were unaware of, guns and rifles of the science fiction variety seemed to just methodically rise up from the ground. I didn't care however, as I found myself going into a sprint, my mind set on only one person now.

Haruhi. Whatever the situation, I didn't want her to get hurt. As much as I've been feeling less and less about her, I still cared enough that I didn't want anything to happen to her. Despite appearances and despite what my thoughts might be telling me, there was still something there for her. Something very small…

I ran with the speed of a gazelle, at least, that's what it felt like to me. As you might all know, I was never much of a runner, but I managed to reach the hall that I had last seen Haruhi go down after she kicked me in the groin. It reminded me of the pain that action had caused, but I ignored it, running down the hall and taking a left to see if I could find Haruhi before whatever was boarding onto the ship got to her first.

"Get your hands off me!" was the loud and clearly angry voice that I heard from just ahead, and the sight ahead of me was truly one I did not expect. Suzumiya-san was struggling against what looked like a pair of orange glowing giants. The only problem was that they weren't really giants, and they were in fact only a bit taller than an average human. Even so, they had their arms wrapped around Haruhi, and if I didn't know better, it might have looked like they were violating her or something. That's a bit off-topic, actually…

"Haruhi!"

I would have guessed that this girl would do nothing less beyond ignoring me. In fact, she didn't even acknowledge my existence as I ran towards her and the two miniature giants. She merely continued to struggle against them with all her might, though it seemed that her efforts were clearly in vain. They maintained a powerful grip on her, and I could see them already looking up to register that I was approaching.

Where the hell were these other Kyons? What happened to them taking arms? What kind of cowards are they?!?

"Let go of her!" I shouted at the giants, and it's easy to say that was my terrible attempt at being brave. The two glowing beings didn't seem to really respond, and the closer I got, the brighter the light they emanated became. It came to a point where I was nearly there, but the light had gotten so bright and blinding that I simply could not see at all. My hands were in front of my eyes, and I could hear one loud and annoyed statement.

"You moron!"

In an instant, the light faded, and I could see again. The statement had clearly come from Haruhi, but she and the miniature giants were no longer where they had been before. In all respects, they were in fact gone. I could only assume that these beings had access to some sort of teleportation.

A very large explosion caused me to go flying off my feet, and the alarm klaxons grew louder in response. I hit my head hard on the metal grating that made up the floor, and the world went spinning like a tornado. Nevertheless, I struggled to get myself up, ignoring the throbbing pain on the back of my head. That orb wanted Haruhi. For what purpose, I don't know, but it had obviously kidnapped her for a reason.

And who was the one who would end up saving her? Of course it was none other than me. Lucky me!

I got myself up finally, and the only place on my mind was the one place that I realized I needed to get to. That was the hangar bay, because judging from the sounds around me, it seemed that the enemy fleet was commencing with the destruction of the rest of our fleet, and that included the flagship.

Kyons passed me like panicked maniacs, and I would have face palmed at their utter cowardice if I had the time. They weren't even there to fight off the two enemy soldiers who had boarded our ship. I'm personally beginning to think that these duplicates of me are truly pathetic.

After running down a long flight of metal stairs, mostly because I assumed the elevator was unpowered, I reached the large space that was the hangar bay. There were no Kyons to be seen, and I guessed that they were all escaping via whatever emergency pods were situated around the ship. More explosions caused the ship to rumble, and I wondered how much longer until it just decided to blow up. It might just be me, but this ship seemed to be conveniently taking its time in being destroyed. Bad game mechanics, in my opinion.

My eyes searched far and wide across the hangar bay, but it did not take me long to spot the lone fighter that seemed to almost be waiting for me. It was a light shining azure color, with a distinct yellow "K" on its side. I held in the urge to groan as I sprinted towards it.

It didn't take me much time to jump in the cockpit, and I closed myself in just as quickly. To be honest, I had very little experience as a pilot, so I hoped that those long hours of video games in my youth might actually pay off for once.

Once again, I really don't know what kind of features were in this game, but I did not expect my newly acquired fighter to go on auto-pilot so suddenly. I didn't even have a chance to do much of anything, before the ship activated and zoomed itself straight for the space that lay outside. There were so many questions in my head at this time, but I figured they would just remain unanswered as usual.

It wasn't long till I was now in space, and the ship was working on its own, navigating itself to wherever it planned on going. Surprisingly, there seemed to be no reaction from the enemy ships around me at all. They stayed motionless, as if they wanted to let me pass. And my destination was just ahead.

It was the massive, orange orb-ship that probably contained the being responsible for sending us all here. That glowing orb! Whatever it was, it had caused me and the rest of the Brigade more than enough trouble. It seemed like the time to get to the bottom of this. It's now or never.

And so, with my ship on course, I watched as we passed the many stationary ships that represented the orange fleet. They did not even give the slightest hint of movement at all. I sighed.

Guess it's time for me to shine for once. I still can't help but wonder if the others survived through this all…

Nevertheless, Haruhi, here I come! Let's hope I survive this predicament.

And if I do, then I promise myself that I'm never playing another one of these kinds of games ever again. I'm getting sicker of this science fiction stuff by the second.


	13. Chapter 13

**And guess who's back with a new chapter? This one is my longest yet of any of the stories, and it's safe to say that it's the one I worked hardest on so far. In fact, I got the entire idea for the chapter while listening to the song Greed's Accident by Minori Chihara. Something about it was so epic, and it literally had me imagining this entire chapter in my head. I really suggest you listen to the song while you read this. It should have a certain enhancing effect, I think. Otherwise, enjoy it, everyone! If you're going to review something before I get to concluding this story, then definitely review this chapter!**

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I can't say that I was too frightened for my life right now.

Now before you ask, I'll tell you that there are multiple reasons for that. For one, I'm in a video game fighter ship that's on auto-pilot, and I would bet my year's allowance that it could probably easily outmaneuver any battleship that might come at me from the orange fleet. On another note, I'd like to point out that the "danger" present around me isn't really much of a danger at all. While the orange fleet surrounds my small craft on all sides, none of its many ships have made any attempt to attack or harass my fighter. In fact, the farther I get, the more they separate to create a path for me to get through.

Looking through the windows of this small fighter, I marveled at the true hypocrisy around me. This orb had put so much effort in trying to destroy my fleet and the fleets of the rest of the Brigade, but it suddenly had no urge to wipe me out now while I was vulnerable in this single ship? The logic of this strange being is clearly off in my opinion.

Still, I should be thankful that I'm still alive in this situation. I could be ashes floating in space, so maybe this outcome wasn't so unfavorable after all. And now I'll just let this fighter keep going on course towards the looming enemy mother-ship, where Haruhi probably awaits. Now it's my job to go save her.

Stupid girl! If it weren't for her nasty attitude, and the way she treats the rest of us, then we would never be in these life-or-death situations in the first place! She's the one who can never keep her damn emotions in check. Sometimes I wish she would just shut her big mouth and stay quiet!

Damn. I'm getting too worked up over all this. If there's anyone to blame right now, it might as well be me. Who's the one who decided to end his "relationship" with her?

Oh right, me.

I guess being on auto-pilot in this ship gives me a lot of time to think. The mother-ship is still some distance away, and since none of the orange ships show any intent on firing at me, it seems I need something to do while I wait....

What did I do to myself when I decided that I wanted to be Haruhi's boyfriend? It definitely wasn't a smart move, and much more of a bold and brash one. There must have been something that attracted me to her, right? I wouldn't just fall for a girl without even knowing it, would I? Unless that girl is the equivalent of a deity and she could have easily influenced my mind and suddenly caused me to forcibly love her.

But somehow I don't believe Haruhi is capable of such a thing. For all her faults, there are so many things about her that shine. I guess with so much thinking time on my hands, I have no choice but to recognize them.

For one, she's definitely a dreamer. Much more of a dreamer than I ever was, am, or will be. If there's a girl who will believe in something, and never cease to give up on that something, it's Haruhi.

And since when I've known a girl who's a super-utility like she is? I mean, how can she be so good at so many things? She's athletic, she gets good grades, she's outgoing, determined and she does have a weird kind of logic that sometimes makes sense. Let's not forget her obvious beauty, and that unique personality of hers, for lack of a better word. I bet I once said that I could spend an eternity looking into Haruhi's eyes...

But who knows if I'll ever get to do that again. I must have thought all my time away, because upon my arriving back into reality, I found myself staring into a truly gargantuan hangar bay as part of the orb-ship opened up for my tiny fighter like the maw of a great beast.

My ship lurched forward as the hangar bay opened up for it, and it rocked a little bit inside the cockpit as the fighter descended towards the ground below. Taking the chance to look around, I noticed that to my surprise, there were no other ships or fighter of any sort in this spacious hangar bay at all. It's strange, if you ask me. Does this orb thing have much actual reason or intellect? Perhaps it has only an instinct to survive or something similar. I'll probably never know.

When my ship finally touched down, I found myself wanting to exit it as soon as possible. However, I noticed something of particular interest before I was able to get out of the cockpit. Let's just say that a strange sort of science fiction handgun was lying by my foot, and I figure that it would be better to take it then not to take it. We all know that I'd just be more useless in saving Haruhi with just my plain unarmed human self.

Without much thought on looking at the surrounding scenery, I took no time in finding my way out of the large hangar bay, my mind focused on finding Haruhi, who was probably somewhere on the entirety of this ship. It was truly massive, from what I could see outside of it, so for all I know, I could be searching for her forever. I'd rather not be the pathetic hero who starved to death because he couldn't find the girl on the massive ship for over three weeks...

And so I ran. Truth be told, I had no idea where I was going, and I merely ran down the first large orange hallway that would eventually lead me somewhere. With the strange handgun in one of my blue pants pockets, I ran.

I'm no runner of any kind, despite what you might think. So naturally, I started getting very tired after a few minutes of sprinting down this ridiculously long hallway. The fact that I was still wearing this blue uniform didn't really help, and it in fact made sweat just kind of stick to me even more.

Taking a breather, I wondered why I was going through so much trouble to save the very girl I had just dumped. Truth be told, Haruhi was probably the only ticket out of here, but even still, I was going a little over the edge, wasn't I? Where were Koizumi, Nagato-san and Asahina-san anyway? I would expect them to be the ones doing this kind of thing, not me.

Unless of course they've been annihilated along with their fleets. Then they wouldn't be doing much beyond a life as space debris. I really hope that this battle hasn't come to that for them.

Getting into another run, I realized that I was actually nearing the end of this infernally long hallway. In fact, I had to stop when a large door that seemed to go high up into the ceiling stood right in my way. It looked blast proof in almost every way, so I passed on shooting at it with the gun I had obtained, and opted for conserving what ammo I might have, if any.

I looked behind me, and the abyss of the long hallway was all that really greeted me. I didn't think I wanted to run back that way, but on the other hand, I needed to actually find Haruhi and this insane orb-thing. But this blast door wasn't going to be opening up for me anytime soon, from the looks of it.

This is hopeless. How am I supposed to get to Haruhi now? I should have known that I'd just end up being useless in this kind of situation. It's times like these where I really do wish that I had some sort of special power that has remained dormant inside me until the perfect time. If that was true, then now would probably be the perfect time. But alas, nothing seems to be going my way these days...

Or maybe I spoke to soon, for once. As I was getting comfortable leaning against the blast door in my self-professed failure, it suddenly began to lurch open behind me. A loud grinding sound followed as it opened, and my comfortable leaning spot escaped me as I was forced to stand on my own. The door took a few minutes to open, but when it finally did, I was greeted by a sight to see.

And that sight was a truly massive room that instantly pierced my eyes with its brilliant orange color. I walked inside with nervousness, marveling at the many alien-like structures that populated this huge room in decoration. Some glowed bright in the same fashion as the orb that had brought us here, and some shined like metal. Nevertheless, it all looked very expensive and methodical, at least from my point of view.

"Wow. You actually survived long enough to make it here." an obnoxious voice said from what sounded like above, prompting me to look up. It was none other than Haruhi, who had an annoyed look on her face, her arms crossed as she leaned on the wall of what seemed to be a giant, almost opaque cube that just floated in the air above.

Figures. Leave it to Haruhi to be ungrateful. I wonder if she's thick-skulled enough to still think that this is all some kind of game.

"So would you rather not be saved, Haruhi? Because it looks like you're the one who's trapped, not me." I responded in a louder voice, hopefully so I could make it a point to Haruhi that I wasn't too happy about being the one who was rescuing her right now.

"Whatever. Just get me out of this stupid box already." she replied, but her back was facing me now. She was still pissed at the whole break-up thing, I guess. But I don't feel much remorse, considering the way she's been treating me.

A loud droning noise caught my attention almost immediately, and it caused me to turn and acknowledge the large throne that lay smack in the middle of this gigantic room. It was definitely something that seemed fit for a monarch, although all I could see of it was the back.

That quickly changed however, as the throne turned around, and revealed something that I really did not expect one bit. The droning sound only got louder, and I had the urge to put my hands over me ears, but I did not. The thing that sat in that throne was too distracting anyway.

It was a human figure, at least if you considered its overall shape. Imagine if you took a person, and then just filled him up with a bright orange jelly that glows. That is what this thing looked like to me. It sat on its throne with a devilish smile on its face, and I'd like to point out that a mouth was in fact the only visible facial feature on its face at all. It looked solidly built, and it was at this time that I realized how much of a similarity this thing had to the President of the Computer Research Society. In fact, it looked to me like this orb has just decided to perform a fusion with the guy like something from an anime or stupid trading card game.

"What the hell is that?" I exclaimed, and my legs were suddenly having the urge to start backing away. I didn't like the smile on the things face. It was extremely creepy. Much creepier than anything that Koizumi could come up with.

"Don't ask me. It's been just sitting there for the last hour or two. It's probably a boss we failed to defeat." Haruhi commented from above, though her response wasn't really all that helpful, considering she supported my belief that this was still a game to her with it.

The being in front of me was undoubtedly some sort of conglomeration of the Computer Society President and the orange glowing orb. Something about this thing was seriously bugging me. It seemed to work methodically, without knowing it. It seems to have a kind of strange instinct.

Did it kidnap Haruhi for as reason? Did it know I would go after her? Did it want...me?

The droning came up in my ears again, and the humanoid stood up from its throne, orange glowing hands twitching at its sides. The mouth on its face became relatively expressionless, and I watched it begin to lurch forward. Meanwhile, one of its arms seemed to be rapidly changing in structure, and it looked like it was turning into a kind of tentacle. When I realized it was coming for me, I panicked just at the right time.

The outstretched tentacle shot out fast, and I'm surprised that I was actually able to duck it. It came back to its owner just as quickly, and a grimace appeared on the orange being's face as both its shifting arms reached for me. What else could I do besides dodge this thing?

And that's what I did. With the same kind of slide one might do when they're trying to get to home base, I slid right underneath the two tentacle arms that searched for me like prey. I don't if Haruhi was watching this like it was an exciting movie or something, but I've yet to hear her express any worry at all. This, in my opinion, is not good.

"Why are you running? You're supposed to be fighting the thing, coward!" Haruhi shouted from above, and I could see she was in fact watching the entire scene before her like it was some sort of exciting movie. I groaned internally, and held in all comments. I had nothing to really say to Haruhi at this point in time.

It was during my trying to get up that I seemed to trip and fall, right on my backside. This wasn't too much of a good thing, since the orb-human took it as an opportunity to finally have me in its tentacle clutches. With one orange appendage shooting towards me like a deadly projectile, I had no time to much in terms of running.

But there was one thing I could do. It came in the form of the handgun that had been in my pocket this entire time. At this point, I didn't care about aiming, and I just shot the damn thing.

Surprisingly, I hit home, and the tentacle recoiled from the impact of a searing hot laser bolt. I can't say I didn't grin when I saw this, because I had always thought my aim was terrible. Without much thought, I fired again, this time actually aiming for the thing's head.

And the shot was successful! A shriek that could be compared to the sound of a computer frying from an electrical explosion emanated from the mouth of this strange being. It backed away, gathering its composure as it looked like it was trying to recover from the shots. I took this as another chance to fire again, and I did. The fact that I was being so merciless didn't really surprise me much.

More shots hitting dead-on! I can't believe I'm actually killing this thing! Every laser bolt seems to cause more and more damage, and as the being continues to take hits, its jelly like form seems to be collapsing on itself. I ignored the screeches it made, and just kept pulling the trigger over and over again.

If Haruhi was yelling at me about something at this time, I definitely did not hear it at all. The noise that was produced from each laser bolt exiting the barrel of this handgun droned out all immediate sound.

Finally, after a few more bolts, I watched as the once-solid being collapsed inward, turning into a puddle of orange jelly that seeped along the metal floor. A smile was already coming onto my face, and I twirled my gun as I approached the defeated thing with a sense of accomplishment.

"That wasn't such a hard boss to beat." I said out loud, and the statement was in fact directed at the brown-haired girl locked up in that box above me.

"Those were all lucky shots. I could have done it in half the time." I heard in response, and my face looked unsure as I felt my heart sink just a bit.

Damn you, Haruhi. You can't just admit that someone else did something worthwhile for once? I'm going to with Koizumi's suspicion for once and admit that she really has been much more irritable and angry than usual.

I guess I didn't realize how close I had been standing so close to this puddle, and I guess I didn't realize that part of it was reaching for my ankle. It may have been all the thinking that distracted me, but either way, it wasn't long until I felt something roughly grab me and pull me upward.

Guess it wasn't so easy to beat after all. Hanging upside down, and being held by my ankle, I was staring face to face with this orange humanoid, and it had a frown on its face as it beamed at me. At least, it would have beamed at me if it had eyes.

A sharp, crackling pain coursed through me as the thing held me. Its grip tightened on my ankle, and I heard myself scream when the pain got to a point where I couldn't take it anymore. After another second, I was let go, and I came crashing to the floor, the handgun flying out of my hand in the process.

"Idiot! You're so thick-headed!"

God, Haruhi can't stop the insults, can she? It doesn't matter. I'm not doing to well right now anyway, so I could care less what she says. It feels like someone just punched me in the lungs. Damn it hurts!

I didn't have the urge to look up, but I could hear the droning getting much louder, and I felt wind picking up around me. Everything shook and spun like an earthquake and a tornado were going at once, and when I decided to look around, I could see that the throne room we had been in had suddenly vanished. In fact, there wasn't much around me at all anymore.

"Kyon-kun!" a feeble voice said from afar, and I stood up, realizing that Asahina-san was the one who had called out to me. She was with Koizumi and Nagato-san about some feet away, and Haruhi was with them as well. Surprisingly, they were all dressed in their usual school clothes now, and all of them were standing in what looked like just whiteness.

I didn't need to look down to realize that we were in the same white space that I had encountered when Haruhi had first been conflicting with herself over whether or not she had romantic feelings for me. That wasn't too long ago, now that I think about it.

I ran towards the rest of the SOS Brigade without thinking, and it felt good to run now, because I seemed to be back in my usual school uniform instead of the blue general's uniform that I had been wearing just before. If I didn't know any better, than I might have said that the danger had just left my mind right now.

"Everyone made it in one piece, I see?" I said with a smile on my face at the sight of the rest of the Brigade. Well, just about everyone except Haruhi. I think I've had enough of her for one day by now.

"Relatively. Though I sense a portion of data loss emanating from you." Nagato-san replied, causing me to wonder what she meant by that. Data loss? Did that thing take parts of me when it had me in its grip?

"Where are we?" Mikuru asked with nervousness in her voice. I guess it's natural for her to be the one out of all of us who's usually the most afraid.

"It seems to be some sort of empty space. This is quite interesting. Whatever this strange being is, it truly shows the qualities of an Antichrist. I assume that if we defeat it, we can escape this simulation." Koizumi commented, looking studious as he rubbed his chin. I didn't get too annoyed at the smile on his face this time around.

Why are we in all this whiteness? I was here once before, but it was with just Haruhi. What's the point of all of this?

"It is present." Nagato-san stated, her finger suddenly pointing at something behind us. I turned, and saw nothing less of the same orange humanoid that had been trying to get a hold of me before. It was standing in front of us, but I might as well say it was towering over us all now. The thing had grown in size between it dropping me and all of us arriving here, and its height was now comparable to the size of one of those blue giants.

"We are threats to its existence. The being is commencing actions that will result in our eradication."

"Wouldn't we all have guessed that by now?" I said to Nagato-san in response to her pointing out the obvious, backing away a little as we all looked up in awe at the truly awesome figure standing above us. It seemed non-responsive, but it was clearly looking down at us, aware of our presence.

This didn't look too good. A loud droning roar emanated from the humanoid's mouth, and when its arms were coming up from its sides, we all knew it was ready to destroy us.

"A challenge! It's time that we prove ourselves! SOS Brigade, prepare for battle!"

The easily recognizable and commanding voice of Haruhi. Why does it never get old?

"As you wish, Suzumiya-san." Koizumi said, and from beside me, I could see that he was already charging up a glowing red ball in one of his hands. The thing above us was ready to bring its arms down on us, and it seemed like a good time to scatter.

And scatter we did. Koizumi was the first to strike, launching his esper ball at the towering humanoid. It hit the thing's right arm with considerable force, causing globules of its jelly-form to splash off from the impact.

I don't have the handgun with me, so how the hell does anyone expect me to be any use in this fight? For all we know, this thing has full control over this entire space!

Goddamn Bible! Why did Haruhi have to read that stupid book!?! On another note, I wonder how many people I've insulted by thinking such a thought. Probably quite a lot.

"Keep your distance from it. It seeks to assimilate our data." Nagato said next to me as she broke through my thoughts, and her hands were manipulating something in the air, if there was any actual air in this godforsaken white space. Like some sort of magic, she produced slivers of metal, which meticulously floated in front of her. Without second thought, she launched them forward, and they grew to the size of large metal spikes as they headed for the towering giant that was currently trying to crush Koizumi.

I have to give Koizumi a hand. He sure knows how to handle himself. Watching him just dodge the blows of this giant being like nothing is truly a sight to see. And when the spikes that Nagato launched at it finally got into striking distance, I found myself gaping at the sight of those spikes impaling themselves right through the giant's jelly-like body and coming out right on the other side of it.

Are we winning? Because this thing doesn't seem to be putting up much of a fight. Or maybe it's because we have an alien and an esper to do our fighting for us, as Asahina-san, Haruhi and I are relatively useless in this situation. Damn it. I hate being useless.

I nearly got hit by a body flying at me, and that same body was Nagato, who had somehow been flung with a force comparable to being hit by a train. Her lithe form tumbled towards me in the air, and it took all my reflexes to duck and avoid being caught in her impact.

No sound was made when she hit the ground behind me, and I expected that. This white space had little in terms of physics and natural laws. I looked behind me to see if she was okay, and upon seeing her just stand up after being thrown so violently and far, I figured she was going back into the fray again. A fray which I couldn't join.

"I hope you didn't all forget your Brigade Chief! This battle doesn't end unless I say it does!" Haruhi exclaimed behind me, and a massive explosion followed her voice. I felt like ducking again, but large bolts of energy passed right by me before I could even do so. They flew through the air fast, and made impact with the currently occupied orange-being faster than it could register.

It burst apart at this point into lots of blobs of orange goo, and I turned to see that Suzumiya-san was standing on what looked like some kind of massive gun that looked like it belonged on a battle ship. She had a determined look on her eyes, and her hands were firmly gripping its controls.

I should be glad her anger isn't on me right now. Better this orb-thing than me.

"Where did you get that from?!?" I stated, confused and surprised over this large object now in Haruhi's possession.

"I don't know. It just came up, and now I'm using it! You wouldn't be able to win this without my help anyway, so be grateful that I'm using it now!"

I turned, ignoring Haruhi's last comment. I should just stop talking to her at this point. There's no arguing with someone as irritable as her.

Looking back at the battle, I could see that the humanoid was walking towards the source of its pain. Haruhi, with her over-sized battleship gun, was the new target on its mind. And although I had no idea where Asahina-san had run off to, I guessed that I was now the only thing between it and the brown-haired girl behind me. This was not the kind of situation I wanted to be in at all.

But solace came quickly, and it came in the form of Koizumi and Nagato-san, who seemed to be running towards the approaching giant from the side, and they were…holding hands? What's up with that?

I didn't say anything, and I just watched as the two sprinted towards the massive orb-humanoid coming towards me and Haruhi, hands locked. I waited for another giant gunshot to come speeding beside me, but it never came. This only made more worried.

"Stupid thing! It's out of energy cells!" Haruhi said from behind me, slamming an angry fist on the control console.

Well that's great! We might as well surrender now, Haruhi. Maybe it will crush us painlessly and quickly…

As the giant neared us, I looked up to see its towering form above me, a frown on its face as it raised an angry fist upwards. On the other side, Nagato and Koizumi had suddenly leaped high in the air, hands still locked as they began to come right above the thing's head. I didn't know either of them could jump that high.

Above, a flashing purple light began to shine from where the esper and the alien held hands. It nearly blinded me for a second, and I backed away to see some sort of strange energy beginning to coruscate from their hands, which were now coming apart as they seemed almost suspended in air.

Without warning, a massive blast of purple energy came downward on the giant's shoulder like a ray of destruction. It produced a blaring noise that reminded me of the alarm klaxons of the flagship I had been commanding, and the light coming from it was bright enough to fill up most of this white space. The expansive beam broke apart most of the jelly that was the orange humanoid's form, and caused it to shriek loudly as its body fell apart from the hot purple light that seemed to just disintegrate it.

With the giant falling backwards, its jelly-like form collapsing all over, Koizumi and Nagato landed nimbly on the ground, coming towards us like nothing had happened. When I looked to see Haruhi's reaction, I could see that she was looking on in awe, and Asahina-san was right next to her, having take refuge right next to our Brigade Chief on her massive gun platform.

"I didn't think combining my powers with someone else's would produce such an effect." Koizumi said, rubbing the back of his head and smiling at the emotionless Nagato. She didn't change her expression in any way, and merely responded in her usual tone.

"It is a more efficient way than either of us separately using our abilities. Simple data manipulation is all that was required to achieve it."

It's great that they all seem to find the need to show-off their powers. It's not like there aren't times where I wish I had some ability I could use to defend myself with…

Something was suddenly pulling me, and it pulled hard. Apparently, we hadn't noticed that the orb being had grabbed me around the waist with a gelatinous tentacle, and it was apparently pulling me towards it now. I felt the crackling pain as I was pulled, and my hands went out, reaching for anything, but getting nothing but empty whiteness.

"Kyon!" someone said, and I was surprised to hear that it was Haruhi, who actually looked a little worried to see me being pulled away from her by this giant orb-thing. I was now rising in the air, and my body got weaker by the second as I came face-to-face with this huge being. It was smiling, with one massive hand around me as it began to assimilate me slowly and painfully.

It was at this time that I figured I was a goner, and I was probably right. My body felt like putty, and my muscles were beginning to numb and unwind. So this is who it feels to be absorbed? I don't like it one bit.

I had nothing I could do, and chances are that Koizumi and Nagato wouldn't be able to stop me from being absorbed in time. If only I was like Haruhi, and I could just control this space and make whatever I want hap-

That's it! Why didn't I think of such a simple thing sooner? How else could Haruhi just make a battleship gun appear out of nowhere? She has control over this space, even if she doesn't actually know it!

"Haruhi…." I said out loud, even though I could feel my voice failing.

"What?"

"I bet you couldn't make me turn gigantic or something. You suck at games like these."

"What are you talking about, stupid? I can do whatever I want here! The Brigade Chief has maximum authority!"

"Sure. You can't do anything. You're just another player in this game. And you're going to lose…"

My body continued to hurt even as I egged Haruhi on. I could feel darkness coming, and I didn't know how much longer I could hold on until I just shriveled up.

"Liar! I can do whatever the hell I want!!! If I want you to become gigantic, then you better become gigantic!!!"

I have to give it to you, Haruhi. You truly are something else. As I expected, something began to happen to me when Haruhi said those words. The weakness in my body was disappearing, and it was being replaced with an inner strength now. In fact, my muscles were no longer unwinding, but growing.

I began to expand in the grip of this orange humanoid. First, I grew large enough that it let go of me, and then I grew again, becoming half its size. Finally, with one last burst of growth, I became its height, and its mouth showed an expression of surprise, while I was beaming in sudden happiness. It's a wonder this actually worked, and it's even more a wonder that my clothes had grown with me.

I think it's time to fight fire with fire. What a cheesy line…

Without much thought, I brought my fist right into the face of this orange humanoid, with enough force to knock down a skyscraper. Its face felt squishy against my fist, but it still caused enough damage to make the thing go toppling backwards. It obviously wasn't used to fighting an opponent of equal size.

"I order you to win this, Kyon!" Haruhi shouted from below, in her own way of cheering me on. I guess I relatively enjoyed it, and I grabbed the thing by the shoulders, kneeing its chest hard. It still felt squishy, but I ignored the sensation and landed a right hook that probably would have broken its jaw if it had any bones.

Another punch to the stomach, and then a sharp kick to one of its legs. This thing wasn't even trying to fight back, as far as I'm concerned. Maybe when it possessed the body of the Computer Research Society President, it neglected to realize that he was probably not too good of fighter. I mean come on. This is just way too easy. I barely know how to throw a good enough punch myself…

With one last punch to the face, I watched as the orb-humanoid finally went down, crashing into the whiteness behind it, though there was no sound to its impact at all. I beamed in triumph, and at the same time, felt myself suddenly shrinking.

Already? It kind of was nice being gigantic. In this space, the laws of physics didn't say that my bones wouldn't be able to support me.

"You did it, Kyon-kun!" Asahina-san sweetly said to me, with an amazingly cute smile on her face.

Somehow, Asahina-san seemed to show more enthusiasm over my sudden victory more than Haruhi did. What was with our Brigade Chief? I'm starting to think that something is wrong with the girls' emotions beyond anything I did to her.

"The data entity remains a danger. Your actions were not successful." Nagato stated as I finally shrunk down to size, and I wondered what she was getting at. Unfortunately, I wondered too late.

"What do you mean? It's dead! The SOS Brigade has triumphed again!" Haruhi said, pushing past a relatively still Nagato as she wanted a closer look at the orb-giant that had just fallen.

I didn't expect what I saw in the next second. Whatever I had done didn't seem to actually have much of an effect, and the proof was the fact that the orb came flying past me like a speeding missile. It was in its true form again, the same glowing orange ball that I had first seen in the junk data space with Nagato.

None of us had much time to react as it spiraled right into Haruhi's stomach. In the same way that it tried to enter my body, it flew right into Haruhi. The problem was there was no one to stop it, and our Brigade Chief screamed in a genuine pain as the orange glowing orb seemed to phase right into her body. She went down on her knees, and sparks of bright orange lightning crackled violently around her. I was getting more scared by the second, backing away a little bit, but Koizumi seemed to be ignoring this situation, coming closer to Haruhi, who wasn't showing us her face.

"Suzumiya-san…" he said, trying not to sound nervous, even though I assumed he was actually frightened for once. I don't know what Koizumi was thinking, but whatever it was, it wasn't very smart in my opinion.

Without warning, I watched Haruhi's right hand shoot out like a rocket, and her fist collided upwards with Koizumi's face, as he had in fact gotten just a little too close to her. The esper boy didn't expect this, and he was sent tumbling backwards as if he'd been hit by a car. Haruhi stood up, her hands clenched into fists. When she showed the rest of us her face, I realized how much danger we really were in now.

Her eyes were a fiery orange, and they did not look happy. Her teeth were showing as she grimaced at me, and I could see the very anger almost emanating around her like a fiery aura of destruction. Whatever the orb had done, it had possessed Haruhi, and it was making her angry.

I hope she didn't kill Koizumi with that punch. Why the hell am I worrying about Koizumi? I should be worrying about my own life right now. It seems that we're finally all in a predicament that might be a little hard to get out of.

When the fiery orange aura around Haruhi began to flare up hotter, I only could think one thing, and it was just a bit macabre.

How much does it hurt to be burned alive?

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**Like the Brigade would just win that easily. I'm evil, aren't I? I figured a cliffhanger like this would keep you all interested. What's wrong with Haruhi, you ask? You'll have to wait till the next chapter and see. :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey everyone. The newest chapter is here, and I hope you guys enjoy it. I'd just like to make an important point to everyone.**

**Review. When I say this, I really mean it. By reviewing, you give me your honest opinion on this story, and how it's going so far. Don't think I haven't noticed that this story is getting considerably less reviews than Incapabaility or Attraction did. I have noticed this, and it makes it hard to write when you barely know what your readers think. I'm not asking for reviews on how good it is either. I'm asking for every review possible. If this story isn't as good as you would like, I'd like to hear that. If it's great, then you can tell me that too. You can flame my story for all I care. I just want reviews. I want to know what you all think, so I can see what are my strengths, and what are my weaknesses. Without any reviews, I'll just lose the urge to write, and the stories will abruptly stop before they can be truly concluded in the way I want them to.**

**So all I say; please don't be a shadow reader. Read AND review. And hopefully enjoy this chapter nonetheless.**

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How much does it hurt to be burned alive?

That was the first question I asked myself upon looking at the altered Haruhi in front of me. It was the first thing that entered my mind when I watched an aura of flaming orange energy flare up around our Brigade Chief. It was a question born out of curiosity and fear, but a question nonetheless.

It was clear that whatever this orange semi-sentient orb was, it had taken over Haruhi Suzumiya's body and mind, judging from her current state at the moment. Haruhi's eyes were no longer the once golden amber they had always been, and they now became a shade of bright orange-red that glistened like a raging fire. She stood up in front of all of us, sparks of crackling orange lighting dancing around her school uniform. Her hands were clenched into tight angry fists at her sides, and the grimace on her face, coupled with her glaring, made it obvious that she was discontented to the max.

I still have no idea what this orb is. It had to be some sort of entity related to Nagato-san and Koizumi, because it had shown the ability to almost copy the things they could do. On the other hand, it had an urge to absorb data from other things, like myself, and perhaps it's just using the stolen data that Nagato was talking about before. The same stolen data that had undoubtedly come from me.

And now it had control of Haruhi. This was not a good thing at all. It's bad enough that this girl can mess up a lot of things without even trying, but now that she's possessed by this being, she has the power and the will to wipe us all off the face of existence. As Nagato had stated before; it sees the SOS Brigade as a threat in the way of its "life".

"Something's wrong with Suzumiya-san…" a feeble, child-like voice said beside me, and it belonged to none other than Mikuru, who looked on the verge of tears. There's no doubt that I'm just as frightened at this situation as the time traveler next to me, if not more. I just don't have the guts to show it.

While we stood there, awkwardly marveling at the sight of this new Haruhi, Koizumi lay off in the distance, and he slowly got up even after being hit so far by our Brigade Chief. I have to hand it to him that he seemed to take that punch pretty well, as he easily brushed himself off.

Koizumi did nothing less than turning himself into a large, red ball of energy after that, speeding past Haruhi and coming down right beside us. His transformation back to a human state was quick, and this time, there was no trace of a smile on his face at all.

"I fear that we are in a very unfavorable situation." He commented, narrowing his eyes in worry.

Unfavorable situation? I think we're in a much worse state than that. At this rate, we might as well just raise the white flag and hope we're destroyed painlessly. There is no way in hell that we're going to be able to defeat the very girl that is responsible for creating us and the rest of the universe.

"S-Suzumiya-san doesn't look okay…" Asahina-san said out loud in a soft voice, and she grabbed me by the arm out of complete fear. I did not relish this action, as I was in fact too worried to truly notice.

"She's not even doing anything. What kind of danger does this pose?" I added, as I realized that Haruhi was in fact not doing anything. She continued to stand there, glaring at us, her fists at her sides. She did not move in any other way, although sparks of orange lightning continued to hop and skip around her form.

"It is the more of a dangerous situation than you can comprehend." Nagato replied, coming from behind Koizumi and walking in an efficient pace until she was right next to me and Asahina-san. Her eyes remained unblinking, and she continued without even asking for input from the rest of us.

"This being has been thoroughly classified by the Integrated Data Entity. All aspects of its metaphysical form have been examined, and semi-accurate conclusions have been drawn. It is classified as a Suzumiya-san-Antithesis, which was originally believed to be a fictional being by the Integrated Data Entity. Due to these recent events, this has been proven false, and this being has in fact been correctly classified."

For a moment, I felt like my brain had turned into sludge. Everything Nagato said had come out just a bit fast. The words were like bits of electronic data that had just flashed into one ear and out the other. I needed more clarification on what she was saying, even though this newly possessed Haruhi could strike at us any moment now.

"Suzumiya-san Antithesis? That sounds more like a bad name for the boss of an RPG. Do you know what this thing is, Nagato-san?"

Nagato didn't answer for a second, and it caused me to look back at Haruhi. Surprisingly, she remained in her angered stature, still glaring at us, but not doing much else. I was beginning to become fearful, because I wondered why this thing was stalling so long. For all we know, it could be charging up enough energy to just annihilate us all in one strike.

"It has been classified from all available data records. The Suzumiya-san Antithesis is a data entity of its own kind. It has the ability to absorb data from any being, and then use it to rapidly change its own metaphysical form. Its ability is unique, but it suffers from many flaws. This being does not have complete sentience, and its actions are based on a sub-primal instinct. It also has an indirect connection with Suzumiya-san, having been created by her in the first place."

"What!?!" I choked out, because the thought of Haruhi creating such a thing hit me like a ton of bricks. If I heard Nagato correctly, than I could easily infer that this entire fiasco was in fact, Haruhi's fault. No. I should have expected such a thing from the beginning.

"I assume that Suzumiya-san's connection to this entity is what might have been causing her to become so irritable recently?" Koizumi asked while rubbing his chin thoughtfully, examining the still inactive Haruhi that continued to glare at us like some sort of statue to an unholy god.

"That could be said. It could have caused some sort of strain on her body, and may have made her more prone to the human emotions of anger and hate. But such questions are irrelevant. The entity is finishing the process of combining its data with Suzumiya-san's. It will be commencing its next actions shortly." Nagato said, her body suddenly becoming more rigid, as if preparing for some sort of attack.

I got worried upon hearing Nagato's proclamation. In all cases, it meant that something bad was bound to happen, and that bad thing was coming from Haruhi herself. Koizumi was readying himself, as I could see his body already subliming into the red ball of energy that most espers could become. Asahina-san merely held me tighter by the arm, while Nagato stood valiantly by our side, like a silent monolith that awaited whatever kind of destruction that Suzumiya-san might bring.

Suddenly, we saw Haruhi move. It was an ecstatic, chaotic movement, but a movement nonetheless. Without warning, our Brigade Chief's hands went to her head, and she looked ready to rip her hair out. She let out a loud, angry scream, and then all hell truly broke loose.

Haruhi's expression was one of pain and anger as bolts of orange lightning flashed and danced around her. The aura she had was only growing larger, and it encroached around all the surrounding white space like a tide of doom. Everything became brighter, and I shielded my eyes for a moment at the sight. Meanwhile, I was capable of catching the slight glimpse of what looked like Haruhi's school uniform being burnt right off her body.

That's right. Haruhi's clothes were being burned away faster than someone might burn off a pesky tick. They became shrouded by the aura surrounding her, and their ashes were swept up in the windy gale that was being produced around her body.

Let's just say now that I was only slightly distracted by the fact that our Brigade Chief was wearing nothing in front of the rest of her club. What's really amazing, actually, was the fact that the more inappropriate parts of her body were conveniently blocked by bright flashes of this orange aura surrounding her. It was an eyesore, yet something to dread at the same time. I'm sure someone like Taniguchi would love being in my situation right now…

Haruhi's expression showed no cut corners, as it truly described the anger that was probably present in her mind. As Nagato had just told us, it seemed more than likely that this orb had caused Haruhi's more negative emotions to jumpstart. Truth be told, this "Suzumiya-san Antithesis" was probably causing us much more trouble than it actually knew it was.

"Targets!" Haruhi exclaimed with an unnatural tone of voice and pointing an accusing finger at all of us. Asahina-san held onto my arm with a tighter grip, and although the feeling was in fact nice, I started wondering on just how useless this time-traveling girl was being right now.

Our Brigade Chief's voice boomed through the white space, and Haruhi's eyes flared up into an even brighter red-orange than before. Her stance became aggressive, and her teeth more prominent as she grimaced angrily. This was truly a Haruhi who was unrestrained.

"What the hell is wrong with this thing? Why does it want to kill us this badly?" I said out loud, panic erupting in my voice. Can you blame me?

"It does not seek to merely eliminate us in that way. This being seeks a semblance of sentience, and it seems that we have become its new targets for data absorption. In addition to stopping us from ending its own existence, it seeks to absorb us as a way to bring itself closer to pure sentience."

The voice of Nagato was like a thundering bell with silent undertones. While that analogy doesn't make to much sense, it's the best way I could describe it at the moment.

"So I guess you could say that we are its prey now. I can see it needs sentience. It is remarkably slow-moving in its actions." Koizumi commented, as he gathered his composure and readied himself. I was one of the two that found themselves unprepared when Haruhi unleashed herself on us.

"You've all earned the maximum penalty!!!" Haruhi roared in a voice that was completely unlike her own, and lightning exploded around her already bare form. Orange bolts of energy surged outwards at us like a coming tsunami, and we were all caught off-guard when the wave hit us with full force.

I felt myself flying backwards before I could even let out a single thought. My mind spun and raced as I catapulted above from where I was standing, a mixture of orange and white the only thing that I could see.

My hands reached out for something, anything, but I found nothing. I could hear a whine nearby, and it sounded like Asahina-san. I felt extremely sorry that such a sweet innocent girl had to be in a situation like this, right before I hit the ground.

The ground was surprisingly not that uncomfortable, given the fact that it was made of some sort of white nothingness rather than asphalt or dirt. So upon landing, I didn't feel as much pain as I thought I would. Still, falling on the ground like this was not at all pleasant.

My forehead was pounding as I struggled to bring myself up. Being on the ground like this would only make me more useless than I already was. With Haruhi now under another's control, and the sci-fi handgun from the game lost, I truly had no means to defend myself or anyone else. And from the power Haruhi was already displaying, the situation seemed more and more hopeless by the second.

"Nyaaaah!!!!!" someone screamed in fright, and I turned immediately to the source of the sound. My eyes dilated when I saw the scene in front of me, and I can say to you now that fear had fully penetrated the sanctity of my mind.

Mikuru Asahina, the sweet time-traveling flower of a girl who wouldn't hurt a soul, was being suspended in mid-air. She looked trapped in some sort of force, and in front of her, stood the partially glowing form of Haruhi, who had an unnatural hunger in her eyes as she stared at the suspended Asahina-san like some sort of predator. The time-traveler was caught by our Brigade Chief like a fly caught in a spider's web.

"S-Suzimiya-san…please let me down…" Asahina-san said feebly, and though I could not see from this distance, I had a feeling that the time traveler's eyes were producing a river of tears. My body was functioning, but it felt solid like concrete.

"I'm sorry, Mikuru-chan. I need you for something." Haruhi responded, with a sentence she might use, but a voice that was not her own. Clearly, this orb had only limited control over her. But it was enough to make her this insane.

"S-Suzumiya-san…" Mikuru said again, but she was cut off. As we all watched, the red-haired time traveler's body began to deconstruct itself. Her hair started going away first, turning into orange particles that flew right into Haruhi like swarming hornets. Our Brigade Chief smiled with cruelty as she watched Asahina-san silently suffer this matter deconstruction, and the rest of us only watched in terror. It only took a few more seconds, and Mikuru was no more. The last of the orange particles surged into Haruhi, who looked very satisfied.

I couldn't believe it. None of this could be true. None of this made sense in the first place.

I didn't just watch Asahina-san become nothing right before my eyes. It's a lie. It's a joke. It's a practical joke that Haruhi is playing on me to piss me off!!!

But no such thing had happened. The proof of this was the new appearance of Haruhi, who was now on her way towards the rest of us, and there was a devilish smile on her face. It seemed with the absorption of Mikuru, her human form had become more energy-like, and patches of glowing orange jelly had begun to pop all over her body. The rest of seemed stuck in fear at the sight of this new powerful and terrifying Brigade Chief of ours. Well, I was at least.

"This is insanity!" I stated, looking as if I might rip my hair out. I got a response I expected, but didn't really need.

"I disagree. This strange being seems to want the rest of us now. It clearly has a reason behind its actions, as Nagato-san has told us. We might as well hold on for as long as humanly possible." Koizumi added, and I could hear a humming sound that signified he was charging up the use of his esper abilities. I'm sure this was not closed space, so I've yet to wonder how his abilities even work here.

Hold it off for as long as humanly possible? You people are not even human for God's sake!!!

No. Referencing religion will just put me in a worse mindset. Focusing on the task at hand will give me a better chance of somehow surviving this.

"Surrender to the Ultra Director!" Haruhi announced to us, pointing a finger at us again, a hand on her hip. Her face wore a determined expression that I knew I could recognize from somewhere, and something about it was starting to make me think that this Antithesis was almost reusing things that Haruhi had already said. In truth, it hadn't actually acquired much sentience of its own yet.

Beside me, I could see Koizumi walk forward. His head was down, and when he spoke, he sounded sorrowful.

"I am deeply sorry for this, Suzumiya-san."

Without further warning, Koizumi suddenly became rigid, and he sprinted forward at our possessed Brigade Chief, with a large glowing red ball emanating from one of his hands. He took no time in leaping up, and the exclamation he was about to shout I knew all too well.

"Second Raid!"

Koizumi's hand came down as he was in mid-air, pushing the red ball that he had been charging towards Haruhi like someone pushing down a basketball into the ground. It flew towards the brown-haired girl with remarkable speed, and it looked like our Brigade Chief had no chance against such a powerful attack.

Of course, appearances can clearly be deceiving, and this was no exception. Haruhi didn't even get hit by Koizumi's attack, as the ball stopped about a foot away from her, shorting out as hit against some sort of invisible force field.

Haruhi smiled again, obviously content with this outcome. Koizumi landed on the ground not far from her, looking up, and realizing that his attack had been relatively useless. His eyes grew wide, and for the first time, I actually saw him put on an expression that might allude to the fact that he was actually worried.

"Idiot! Get out of my sight!" Haruhi shouted at Koizumi, causing a concussive force to emanate from her mouth, following her words. The force manifested as another orange wave of energy, and its path was directed at Koizumi, who was helpless in a situation like this. There was certainly nothing I could do to help him.

But he was not completely a goner yet, as someone else intervened before the wave could reach him. It was none other than Nagato, who seemed like she was able to conjure up some sort of shield that was able to stop the wave from actually hitting Koizumi. She had done this while being behind me and relatively silent about the whole situation, so I guess I couldn't help but be amazed. Her abilities were really something out of this world.

While Koizumi was protected for the moment, I had forgotten that I was in fact just as much of a possible victim as Asahina-san had been. The girl may be very well dead, and it seemed that we were all relatively taking that thought very well. I had a feeling that if we got through this, we wouldn't be so emotionless in the aftermath.

"YOU!" someone shouted with a voice that could shake the foundations of a skyscraper. Haruhi's attention was now focused on me, and her eyes glared with an intensity that I had never seen before.

I backed away. Nothing could come out of my mouth, and it was clear that Haruhi wanted me now. She wanted to absorb me, and have it so I would end up becoming energy that she could use as nourishment. That wasn't really my ideal kind of end.

"Come here, idiot!" she exclaimed, and right before me eyes, one of her forearms became the form of orange glowing jelly, and it stretched out towards me like a reaching tentacle. I couldn't move, mostly out of fear.

This was it then. I guess I should finally accept my end. Without even uttering another inner monologue, I closed my eyes, and waited for the inevitable.

But another presence had gotten in front of me, and I heard a loud crackling of lighting that signified Haruhi had caught something in her grip. What is was, I had no idea, and so I had to open my closed eyes to see. When I finally did, I regretted even doing so in the first place.

Where I should have been, with the tentacle wrapped around my waist, was Nagato-san, who showed no signs of struggling as she remained in front of me, caught in our Brigade Chief's grip. I once again found myself in disbelief. My whole world was falling apart in front of my eyes, and watching Nagato's head turn and face me, her eyes just as empty as always, made me only feel worse.

A large red ball of energy zoomed towards Haruhi, and it seemed to fly forward with enough force that it was actually able to go right through whatever invisible shield might be protecting her. It was Koizumi, who had the audacity to try and take Haruhi on by himself, in his red energy form. He looked successful at first as he got through her first line of defense, but my heart sunk when I watched Haruhi, with a surprisingly quick motion; grab Koizumi by the throat with her free hand.

It was clear now. In front of me, both an esper and an alien lay trapped in the grip of a possessed god. And it was one who was in a very pissed off mood, and not in the mood to be merciful at all. And I was just a normal human, caught up in the mix, and ultimately doomed.

"I never thought this was the way I would go…" I could hear Koizumi say, and it sounded like he was almost trying to joke about his own coming death. I guess I have to give him a little credit for something like that. He certainly can be more optimistic than I can be by a long shot.

"This being surpasses us. I feel inadequate." Nagato commented, and it was this that was the last thing she said, before I watched her body begin to deconstruct in front of my eyes. The lithe alien's body swiftly separated into tiny orange particles, just like Asahina-san's had. I didn't have to look in Koizumi's direction to know that he was suffering the same fate.

In my fear, I found myself moving away from Haruhi again, even as she was finishing her absorption of the esper and alien who had just been with us seconds ago. It was clear that only one thing was left for Suzumiya-san to absorb. And that one thing was me.

It's almost funny. I never expected Nagato to ever call herself anything as insulting as inadequate. There is more to her than I know, I assume.

"This is over. I think I deserve dessert now." Haruhi exclaimed in a strangely happy tone, and her statement broke me right out of my thoughts and back to reality. Ignoring the fact that she sounded incredibly abnormal, I realized that she now looked much different than before.

Where she had once been just a normal naked girl with an orange aura around her, she was now almost completely like the same orb-humanoid being that had attacked us all when we first arrived in this space. Her body was nearly entirely made up of glowing orange jelly, save for one part of her, which was the left side of her face. Her single eye and some of her skin had been spared from transformation, but the rest of her was celestial and otherworldly at this point.

I didn't like the sound of being referred to as "dessert." As Haruhi approached me, every step closer felt like the ticking of a doomsday clock, I wondered how many mistakes I might have made that led up to all of this. I probably shouldn't have broken up with her. I probably should have just been an obedient little man, and listened to her every whim and desire like the weakling I was supposed to be. Although it would have been degrading, it might have been the only way I could have prevented this disaster. It might have been the only way that I would have been able to save Nagato, Koizumi and Asahina-san…

No! I refuse to put myself down! This is not my fault. If Haruhi had just not found that Bible, and read the Book of Revelation, then there would have been no such thing as a Suzumiya-san Antithesis, comparable to the Antichrist. Such a being would have never come into existence. If only she had never read that stupid book!

I didn't have time to think any longer, because a small hand had forcefully wrapped itself around my throat by this time. I was now being hoisted in the air, and Haruhi was staring up at me, although her face was expressionless. It was an eerie nod to Nagato-san having been absorbed by her.

"Haruhi…you don't need to do this…" I choked out, struggling in her extremely powerful grip. There was no use, because it was like being trapped in a steel claw, but I tried to escape nonetheless.

"Quiet. You have two choices before you. Either you become one with Suzumiya-san, or die. Choose wisely." Haruhi said, with a voice that sounded remarkably like Koizumi's. I did not question that the same esper was now just as much a part of her as Nagato and Asahina-san were.

"What kind of choice is that? Who do you think you are?" I said weakly, still uselessly attempting to escape Haruhi's grip. It would just make me even more pathetic if I didn't try at all. God, I really hate the fact that this girl has such a strong grip to begin with, and having it increased like this only make things so much worse for me.

"I am the Alpha and the Omega. Your fate is decided now."

With saying that, I realized that most of Haruhi's original personality was gone by this time. This obviously meant that the Antithesis has almost completed its quest for sentience, and I was the last piece of the puzzle.

I should have realized something like this earlier. When it had first touched me in the junk data space days ago, it had probably formed some sort of strange attraction to me. In the end, I was the last thing it needed to gain the kind of intelligence and reason that it sought. I was the all that stood between it succeeding and failing. If this thing won here, it would probably realize the power it could use from Suzumiya-san, and it would just end up changing the whole universe to suit its whims.

My mind went black.

When I awoke, I found myself standing in a space that looked entirely made of orange pulsating energy. It was like something from a surreal dream, and I could barely understand what was going on. At the same time, I felt weak. In the end, I had realized that I was sinking into the orange energy below me like it was quicksand. My fate truly seemed decided now.

There was but one thing on my mind at this moment. I missed Haruhi in every way possible now. I wanted this world back, or in more accurate terms, her world. I just wanted it all to be the way it was again. Is such a thing so much to ask for?

Given my circumstances, it seems it is.

"…The Brigade...."I heard myself say, my eyes closing.

"It's all over now."

I never knew how smart I was for saying such a thing. I never actually knew that out of all the things one could trust in this fractured world, Haruhi's loyalty to her SOS Brigade was one of the most trustworthy of them all.

"What!?! Who said that!?? Who do these people think they are!?! No one ends my SOS Brigade on my watch! I will not give up my position as Chief to anyone!!! They can send the world's armies at us, and we will not fall!!! The Brigade is immortal!!! The Brigade is invincible!!! The Brigade triumphs through everything!!!!

Now that right there; that was Haruhi's voice. And it was the actual Haruhi. The one who could tell you to do something, and make sure it got done her way. Hearing her normal voice was actually beginning to make me feel better…

As the sound of her words traveled through my eardrums, I felt myself suddenly coming back into the white space again, having been forcefully pulled out of the orange energy that had been sucking me down.

Well, something like that I think. I just opened my eyes, and found myself staring at the same Haruhi who had me by the throat.

But she seemed much different now. Orange sparks frantically gathered around her, and I could feel the fingers around my throat struggling to keep their hold. Haruhi's facial expression was rapidly changing from happy to sad to scared to angry and everything else in between, and it looked like she was internally fighting with herself.

And you know, the funny thing was that she probably really was fighting with herself. Without warning, she let go of me, causing me to fall on my back, as her hands went for her hair. She seemed in pain, or it looked more like she was trying to get something out of her brain. She was making sharp panting sounds, clawing at her own head, and I found the urge to back away in slight discomfort as I watched Haruhi go through this turmoil.

Finally, something much unexpected happened. A massive spiraling bolt of orange energy spontaneously flew upwards from Haruhi's body, coming from all the parts of her body that had become like that of the Antithesis. It was like someone had put a vacuum right above her, and was sucking out all of the bad stuff that had once poisoned her body.

It took seconds for the energy to be completely sucked from her body. I watched it gather above her, turning back into the original Suzumiya-san Antithesis. The same orange orb from before. When I waited for it to fly off, I watched it just begin to dissipate instead. While Haruhi still looked in pain and discomfort below, the orange orb above was beginning to deconstruct in the same way that the alien, the esper and time traveler before me had.

The orb separated faster than expected, and I swear that it looked like the thing was trying to escape being above Haruhi the entire time. In a few more seconds, the Suzumiya-san Antithesis was simply gone, and Haruhi stopped her erratic actions.

I stood up all of sudden, in even more disbelief now. A dazed looking Haruhi stood before me, and she remained to be completely devoid of clothes of any sort. I ignored my teenage urges for the moment, and saw that she was now looking up at me with more normal looking amber eyes, a small smile on her truly beautiful face.

This kind of thing just made me feel worse about what I had said to her before.

Suddenly, Haruhi Suzumiya fell forward, and I managed to catch her right in my arms. If there was ever a more awkward moment in my life, it would definitely be now. I had the urge to sigh as I half-held Haruhi, mostly because of her current unclothed state, but a low humming noise caught my attention instead.

A considerable boom pounded through my ears, and my vision suddenly became blurred by a spiraling vortex of multi-colored energy that seemed to surround myself and the Brigade Chief in my arms. At this point, I was ready to accept whatever my fate would end up being.

Before the light became so blinding that that I could no longer see, I could only remember myself thinking one thought, and one thought only.

Haruhi, you are in fact, very well-endowed.

After thinking something so out-of-place, my mind simply shut off, and everything turned as white as snow.

Clearly, something had been ended. Whether or not that thing was my life, who knows…

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**And here comes another cliffhanger for the sake of doing so. Hope you liked this story so far, and it is in fact close to its end. Fortunately, the next one is already in the works. I'm making a regular fan-verse here. **

**And remember to please review. I can't write well without knowing what I'm doing right or wrong.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Well, hello again everyone! The next chapter is here, and you'll find that many of your questions have actually been answered! I'd like to thank everyone for their reviews again, and I ask you keep it up. It helps me with writing a lot, so please keep reviewing. Anyway, enjoy this next chapter!**

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I have to say, that for a supposedly normal human being, I've lived an extremely extra-ordinary life.

I'm serious. I'm supposed to be normal, yet I get stuck in these blank white spaces, chased by giant cranes, almost raped by my ex-girlfriend, turned into the commander of a space fleet, and then nearly absorbed by some weird glowing ball.

This is not a normal life in my eyes. Any notion of me being just a normal human being is gone at this point. If I was normal, then I wouldn't be a part of these occurrences without ending up as a casualty. Clearly, something is helping me survive, and I really don't think that it's just luck or coincidence.

But now my life could have easily been extinguished, so all these thoughts are more or less unimportant. One minute, I was holding a completely indecent Haruhi in my arms, and now, I can't see anything at all. I'm beginning to think that these kinds of situations should become just another part of a "normal" week. They never cease to get annoying, however.

My body starts moving on its own all of a sudden. I feel my head pounding, and my senses explode with excitement. I'm going somewhere, but I can only feel myself going there, and I can't actually recognize anything else about my predicament. There's nothing I can do beyond waiting this time. I get the feeling that maybe I'm going back to…

A light booming sound invades the sanctity of my ears, and my rear suddenly crashes down into reality like a heavy whale breaking through arctic ice. My senses roared alive like never before, and it was like for those few seconds, I could feel everything in the world at one moment.

It was not a pleasant sensation at all.

When I began to come to, my arms felt heavy, and my head felt even heavier. Something was supporting both my rear and my head, but my eyes didn't have the will to open and see what. I heard a group of voices before anything else.

"His bodily functions are commencing."

"We should really thank him, shouldn't we? Not that we don't, I just think maybe he deserves a little more credit that we put out."

"Kyon-kun really saved us this time around. He's like a superhero, except he's just normal like the rest of the humans from this time period."

"He prevented another disaster. The difference between this time and the times before is the fact that we don't know what the outcome of his failure could have been this time around. The Agency was certainly worrying to their limit, that's for sure."

"The outcome is unimportant. In all cases, it would have been unfavorable to all living beings of this universe. The actions of one human can affect so much. The Entity would be surprised if it could experience such an emotion."

A chorus of voices that I could instantly pick out. It was a mixture of Yuki Nagato, Itsuki Koizumi, and Mikuru Asahina speaking. They were close, because the words that came out of their mouths took little time in reaching me.

Finally, my body began to respond to the commands that my brain was relaying to it. My eyes opened as my head came up from its resting place. My arms felt heavy, but I was able to bring them up as well. I blinked multiple times, and drank in my surroundings.

I was in none other than the clubroom. It was the same place where Haruhi had first dragged me into her SOS Brigade, and it was the same place where I had eventually met this group of strange beings that I might be able to somehow call friends.

Yuki Nagato, the self-professed humanoid interface who spoke with a continually monotone voice, stood beside Itsuki Koizumi, the smiling esper boy who just had to be the SOS Brigade's resident philosopher more times than one. On his right side, there stood Mikuru Asahina, our innocent mascot who also doubled as a time traveler.

I had watched these three get absorbed in front of my eyes. I had watched them turn into floating clouds of orange particles that a possessed Haruhi had absorbed.

"Haruhi…" I said as my first word upon waking up, because my mind had locked onto the thought of our Brigade Chief. Out of all of us, it seemed almost like she had suffered the most. Koizumi had mentioned that the Antithesis had developed some sort of link with her, and that it could have been greatly affecting her mentally this entire time.

"She's not with us at the moment. I assure you that she most likely made it back to this plane of existence without harm. We're just waiting for her to surface now."

Koizumi's comment certainly sounded like it would come from him. It did nothing less but remind me of the fact that my mind was overflowing with enough questions to fill an apartment building. I am confused about so much.

"K-K-K-Kyon-kun…."

I didn't think that Asahina-san was going to hug me so tightly after I stood up from the chair I had awoken in. It was kind of a surprise attack almost, but the red-haired time traveler was too gentle to do such a thing. This girl had her arms wrapped around me, and her head buried in my chest. Tears were coming down her face, and her voice came out muffled.

"Don't leave us like that!"

That's enough to make any man burst into tears. But I am not any man, and I did everything I could to keep my composure and not make Mikuru feel like she was being pushed away at the same time. I sighed lightly, and turned to face Koizumi and Nagato. No doubt they knew what I was going to say next. It seemed that Asahina-san realized what she was doing, and let go of me. I wondered if this had anything to do with her not getting "too close to me".

"You know I've got a million questions, don't you? And I know you can at least answer some of them for me."

"That we can, though I think the alien beside me will be able to answer a considerably larger amount."

Don't be so modest, Koizumi. You can't fool me when it comes to knowing that you keep much more information in your head that you would dare tell us. I'm not an idiot, you know.

I crossed my arms, and narrowed my eyes. This was the moment of truth, and the first question zoomed into my head quickly. It's a wonder how I had suddenly forgotten about Haruhi.

"What was the point of us being in such a massive space battle? I figure that's more of a hassle than a help to the Antithesis."

First question. Let's see how well these two can answer it. And when I say these two, I mean Nagato and Koizumi of course, because Asahina-san remains relatively useless in the explanation department, at least beyond time travel.

"I can't say I know exactly why. Perhaps it was just mere coincidence. The game happened to be present in the room at the time, and when the Antithesis came in with the possessed body of the Research Society President next door, it probably decided to utilize everything and anything about its environment. And the game became one of those things."

Koizumi's answer sounded like it made sense, but it was still aggravating to think about it. So he's saying that it just decided to drop us in a game because it felt like it!? Damn. That means it really had no sense of reason at all. It really did need sentience. I can only imagine what that thing could do if it actually had intelligence.

And I wonder what happened to the Computer Research Society President anyway. The guy happened to be possessed by the Antithesis, so I can't say that I didn't feel sorry for him. I guess I kind of hope he made it back in one piece.

"So you're saying….that the only reason we ended up in that stupid game, is because Haruhi brought it into the clubroom in the first place?" I asked Koizumi, trying my best to keep a straight face, because asking such a question felt very stupid.

"Basically, yes."

I really shouldn't have asked. Once again, something else ends up being Haruhi's entire fault. This is nothing new. Haruhi blames everything on me, but in the end, she's almost always the one who's actually at fault. That's what she gets for having the whole world, no, the universe, revolve around her.

More questions came into my head faster than I could even register. There's so much on my mind, and so little time for me to ask. It is only a matter of time before Haruhi comes barging in and interrupts our conversation. I need to get out as much as I can before that happens!

"Answer me this. How did we manage to survive it all? You're all here, alive and well, and if we're lucky, Haruhi is the same. I'm alive as well, and I could have sworn that the crazed Haruhi almost managed to completely absorb me. Then something happened, I heard the real Haruhi protest about the outcome of our situation, and the Antithesis suddenly gets sucked out of Haruhi and dissipates in mid-air. Then we get zapped back here. Please tell me you have some sort of explanation to sort out this insanity." I asked in the form of this long monologue.

Insanity is definitely a good word to describe what we went through just before. We got zapped into a huge space battle in which I was nearly killed. Then I ended fighting a possessed Computer Society President, followed by being transported to a white space that was oddly familiar to me. Then we fought that same Antithesis, and I grew gigantic in the end and beat it down, but it managed to possess Haruhi, and everything became that much harder. In the end, I somehow managed to triumph again, but I had no idea how I did it.

Koizumi seemed to be thinking about something, and it looked like he was a bit stumped. I didn't even take a glance at Mikuru, because there was no doubt she was probably just as confused about how we got her as much as I was. And so the only person who could answer my question was the light-haired humanoid interface on Koizumi's left. The same one who was not reading a novel, but she had her complete attention on us this time around.

"It could be all probability."

A single answer that did not answer what I asked. That's not helpful, Nagato.

"I hope that doesn't mean luck, does it?"

"It does."

Nagato answers naturally, without any sense of emotion in her voice, as per usual. I keep thinking that a humanoid interface would be better at interfacing with humans if it actually had emotions. Or maybe these things just can't show emotions. Emotions are there, but they never surface so that other people recognize them. God, I doubt I'll ever know.

"You're joking, right? Wait, scratch that. I don't remember you having a sense of humor. You can't just even hypothesize for me how we managed to get through all this?"

I'm sorry that I want an answer so badly. Why don't you try walking out of this clubroom with so many things on your mind? I assure you that it's not easy, and I basically do it almost every day of the week.

"Hypothesis. That is possible." Nagato answered, her eyes not blinking even once.

"Explain then."

"It is not simple to discern, but I have an idea of what occurred. As you might have seen, I, the esper, and time traveler were all converted into simple data particles that could be absorbed as part of the Antithesis's consumption. We were not killed, as you may know that matter cannot be destroyed or created, only changed. We were only changed into another form, though our sentiences became one with Suzumiya-san's for that brief time. We were essentially one with her, along with being one with the Antithesis as well."

"Okay. I know that. I'm asking why I managed to survive. Answer me that."

"I was approaching that conclusion. When the Antithesis touched you, we could all feel some sort of change in its state of mind. It began to absorb you, but something was interrupting the data transfer more times than one. That something was Suzumiya-san, who had found the will to break away from the Antithesis's control. When it began to break you down into simpler data particles, Suzumiya-san took action, and regained control of her own state of mind, as well as committing total data eradication on the Antithesis in the process."

Total data eradication. So that's what Haruhi did to get rid of the orb. I remember her doing the same thing to the late Ryoko Asakura. It was much flashier that time around.

I thought Haruhi had some sort of connection with this thing? Didn't reading the Book of Revelation cause her to create it in the first place? It's amazing how easily she was able to sever such a connection so easily.

"I get what you're saying. It's certainly easier to understand than Koizumi's metaphors. But I still wonder how I'm a part of all this. I'm normal, remember? How could I cause something so drastic?" I asked, rubbing the back of my head in slight confusion.

"It's quite amazing exactly how much you've changed. For a normal human, you have quite the effect on the rest of us. The Agency has considered more investigation on you, but in the end, our superiors voted against it. Clearly, you yourself may be an unexplained phenomenon." Koizumi commented, his hand rubbing his chin. He sure knows how to look studious at the worst times.

"I'm still confused. Why me? Why couldn't have been another esper, or a humanoid interface, or even another time traveler? Why did I, the normal human, end up being the one who saves everyone? I never imagined myself as a superhero of any kind." I stated, putting my head down. I had trouble registering most of the things being told to me. I could believe them all, but I almost didn't want.

Koizumi smiled, and somehow, I had to seriously stop myself from lashing out at him. I can imagine that smile must make him popular with women.

"Who knows? It may very well remain an unanswered question, but perhaps it has something to do with the invisible bond between you and Suzumiya-san. If ever that bond dissipates, than we very well may have a lot of trouble on our hands. This brings me to another point. You've done something that you might want to consider rectifying."

"And what is that exactly?" I asked, knowing too well what the answer was.

"I don't think you need to ask me. You know very well what I'm talking about."

Damn you, Koizumi. You can read minds, can't you? Otherwise you wouldn't possibly be able to remember me telling you that I broke up with Suzumiya-san during the space battle, because of the fact that she'd been treating me so badly lately. But our Brigade Chief did think that the entire thing was a game simulation, so maybe she forgot about it. Maybe there's hope to still fix things.

But what can be fixed if the problem is still there? Haruhi treated me badly enough that I got tired of her. What's wrong with that? I never liked being pushed around by her in the first place, and I didn't want to become her boyfriend to just get pushed around even more. I wanted a relationship that we could both consent in. I didn't intend to be anyone's bit-

My next thought was abruptly and conveniently interrupted by someone loudly slamming the clubroom door open. We all turned in unison to see who it was, though I knew fully well exactly who it was.

"The Brigade Chief is back!"

Haruhi Suzumiya walked into the clubroom with her own grace and charm, and for once, we were all staring at her for reasons we never thought we would. Well, I was staring, and I assumed Asahina-san was red-faced. Koizumi could be staring too, but I really didn't want to see his facial expression. I assumed Nagato was indifferent.

Haruhi had no clothes on at all. She was completely naked, and there were no bright orange lights to censor her this time around. I had forgotten what day it was, and what time it was, but I wondered how many people in the school, if any, had seen her like this. If I had to describe it the simplest terms, I would say that Haruhi Suzumiya probably represented close to human perfection. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if there were leagues of dirty old men out there that were just salivating at the thoughts of getting their hands on a teenage girl like her. Quite the disgusting thought, actually.

I was speechless at the moment, and it could be said that the rest of the club was the same, since we merely let Haruhi talk in her unclothed state.

"That was a dumb game. I don't know why, but I guess I took a nap in the janitor's closest when we were done playing. It feels really breezy today…"

Is Haruhi an idiot, just oblivious, or does she really not care that she's not wearing anything? I'm the moron who ends up pointing out the obvious right now.

"Uh…Haruhi…you…don't have any clothes on…"

I don't think I should have said anything at all.

In response, Haruhi looked down, and instantly recognized that she was in fact, in the nude. Our Brigade Chief went red-faced, and this was the first time I've ever seen her more embarrassed as she tried to cover herself in vain. This was the time I probably should have averted my gaze, but I unfortunately did not. That, in the end, cost me dearly.

"Kyon…."

"You stupid pervert!!!!" Haruhi exclaimed red-faced and angrier than ever, and I had no time to register an extremely swift and hard kick to the face. It was always a fact that our Brigade Chief was athletic in more ways than one, so it's no surprise that her kick sent me tumbling backwards.'

It was painful. I rolled along the floor, and eventually hit the back of my head on the desktop that Haruhi usually used. My mind was spinning, and my body ached even though my face was Haruhi's prime target. I really hope that anger isn't an aftereffect of the orb's influence on our Brigade Chief.

"Mikuru-chan! Get me a spare uniform! NOW!" Haruhi declared, and the scared Asahina-san had no choice but to oblige to the Brigade Chief's command. Clearly, Haruhi seemed content enough to use all her authoritarian power over us again.

I guess I can say everything is going to end up getting back to normal again. Wait a second. Nothing is ever normal around here. Well, then I can say that it's getting back to the SOS Brigade's definition of normal. Whatever that is.

I'm still content to know that all of us, including Haruhi, are alive and well. I just have a hard time showing it.

You try doing the same thing after getting drop-kicked in the face. I assure you that it's not very easy at all.

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**And it seems that this story is finally coming to a close. The epilogue is next up, and I once again thank everyone for the reviews. BEcause of that, I'm announcing the next story, which will be titled "The Normalcy of Haruhi Suzumiya". That should make some salivate. :)**


	16. Epilogue

**Hey guys! The epilogue is here, and I'd like to thank everyone for reading the third installment of my fan-verse worth of fics, _The Revelations of Haruhi Suzumiya._**** I'm certainly inspired enough to get thinking for the fourth. Enjoy the ending to this!**

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Above it all, life seems to continue on as normal. Well, that always depends on what your definition of normal is. When I last looked up normal in the dictionary, I came up with this…

"Conforming with or constituting a norm or standard or level or type or social norm."

Now that makes sense and all, but it certainly doesn't fit my personal definition of normal. If you asked me exactly what the definition of normal is regarding my life, I would present you with this slightly altered definition…

"Conforming with or constituting a norm or standard or level that is suitable for Haruhi Suzumiya's tastes."

Basically, my normal is whatever Haruhi makes it. There are no alternatives, and certainly no other ways of describing it besides what I've just told you. Our Brigade Chief makes sure that everything completely conforms in the way she wants it to conform.

It's been days since we'd escaped that "simulation", and saved Haruhi in the process. The entire fiasco had remained relatively forgotten by all of us, except occasionally when Haruhi might mention how dumb the game had been.

It's safe to say that our lives are slowly getting back to normal. The Computer Research Society President proved to be alive, as he managed to wake up in his apartment without a clue as to what happened to him. That was a good thing, I think, because he would probably only have more spite and hate towards Haruhi if he had any idea that she was the cause of the entire predicament.

Haruhi changed quite a bit since those events. Her mood became calmer, and she didn't exhibit the same kind of vicious anger she had shown us before, when the Antithesis still had a connection to her. In fact, I noticed that she had some changes for the better, as she actually took the time to give the Computer Research Society their copy of Day of Sagittarius IV back. I say good riddance to the damn thing, and I wonder if Haruhi gave it back for the same reason. Even still, she believes that we were in a simulation, so perhaps she's giving it back out of "the goodness of her heart".

I had initially forgotten about school and such things when were trapped in that game, so my memory got a nice jumpstart when I was told that our final examinations for second year were right on the horizon.

Let's just say one thing. I was not prepared at all. I couldn't help but be worried about my grades, but I figured that I had at least passed. And passing was all that I truly cared about. It's not like I'm a star student or anything.

Haruhi, on the other hand, had declared to me more than once that she wasn't worrying about the finals at all. To her, everything was just a given, and that included her surprisingly good grades. It was times like these were I detested the girls amazing ability to be a super-utility.

Otherwise, my life just went along on its relative course. There was little change, and most of my days involved doing meeting in the clubroom with the rest of the SOS Brigade after school. Summer was approaching, and Haruhi seemed to want to use the last few Brigade meetings as the way for us to plan her "perfect summer."

Obviously, her main goal was to have a better summer than last year, and it was a fact that really worried me quite a lot. Last summer, we had entered an endless recursion of time that Haruhi had created because she wasn't satisfied with what we had accomplished when the summer ended. The reason she had not been satisfied was quite insignificant, but it was also very embarrassing on my part, so I'd rather not discuss it.

Today, I was heading to my last day of classes before our summer vacation began. It seemed to light me up inside, knowing that today would be the last time I would have to see people like Taniguchi or Kunikida for four whole weeks. It's not that I hate the two or anything; it's just that four week break from them sounds really nice.

And on top of that, I was going to have a nice break from this daily hike which has always plagued me so. I trekked along at my usual pace, my bag slung over my shoulder, and this time around, I managed to get caught by one of the only people who were ever able to find me this easily whenever I'm on my way to school.

"Kyon! What's good, man?" Taniguchi said as he ran up beside me, a grin on his face. Normally, I might have groaned at the expression, but I guess I wasn't in the kind of mood where I could be annoyed easily. Instead, I decided I might just satiate whatever talking needs Taniguchi had at the moment.

"Nothing much. I'll be happier when I don't have to wake up this early and walk to school for a full four weeks." I replied, my own expression indifferent.

"You're going to be spending that summer with Suzumiya and her crew right? Sounds like you'll be having yourself a very enjoyable summer." Taniguchi commented, with sly intentions in the last part of his second sentence.

"Eh?"

"Don't act dumb, Kyon. I know you're just like the rest of us. You just can't wait to get to third base with Suzumiya. In fact, you'll be the first one. Most guys haven't even gotten to kiss her. She's an enigma, you know."

I'm surprised you know such a word. And thanks for reminding me about the "relationship" that supposed to be between myself and Haruhi. It's something that essentially fell apart when I was trapped in the Day of Sagittarius IV game, and come to think of it, neither I nor Haruhi took the time to rebuild it. We were broken up, and neither one of us have expressed an interest in reconciliation.

Should I tell Taniguchi something like this? It might just give him idiotic ideas if I do. Ideas that could very well have him end up in bodily harm as before. You know what? I think I'll tell him. People are going to find out somehow anyway.

"Haruhi and I took a break. I guess we're too different." I choked out, and it was obvious that saying something like that was actually very hard.

This is normal, right? Breaking up with people and moving on is normal in high school, so why was it so hard for me to say such a thing when it involved Haruhi? Don't tell me that I'm going to end up having a hard time not thinking about her. I sighed, though only to myself.

"Are you serious? That sucks, man. I guess you didn't get as far as we all thought you would. Suzumiya just threw you aside like the rest of them, right? I told you in the first place that it was a bad idea. Remember what I said? She goes through guys like a piranha. You should have just taken my advice, Kyon." Taniguchi said to me, his voice overflowing with the notion that he had been right the whole time. This was the point in time where I just had to shut him up. He was sincerely asking for it.

"I broke up with her. She didn't really treat me all that great."

Just as I had thought, the once talkative Taniguchi completely shut up, and merely continued to walk along with me in silence until we reached North High and split our separate ways from there. Even still, what I had said to him was still hurting some part of me. It was like every time I mentioned breaking up with Haruhi, a hot spike drove itself right into the back of my spine.

Was it even the smartest move? I couldn't help but continue to inner-monologue as I went up the flight of stairs that led to my homeroom classroom. It was the same homeroom where Haruhi sat in the seat right behind me, and it was the place where she had first experienced the revelation that eventually led her to creating the SOS Brigade. If I hadn't been one of the first people to show an interest in speaking to her during the first days of high school, then there probably wouldn't have been an SOS Brigade in the first place.

So essentially, it's my entire fault. There would have been no SOS Brigade without the inclusion of me. If there's anyone to blame, it's me. Funny how things seem to just work that way. Still, I keep wondering if breaking up with Haruhi was such a good idea…

Entering my classroom, I see a usual scene in front of me. Haruhi Suzumiya is looking out the window with a blatantly bored expression on her face, and I can't help but wonder why she always seems to be like this in the mornings. Maybe it's only sometimes that she's actually doing this, but to me, it feels like all the time. Still, my daily routine continues without interruption, and I sit down in front of her, trying my best to sound alive this morning.

"Good morning." I say in my most energetic tone, which for me is not every energetic at all. Haruhi's response is to always turn and face me, and then she usually ends up saying something that makes it seems like she's extremely bored. This time, however, her face lit up when she could see that I had arrived. And I think I know exactly why.

"Kyon! Look more excited! Today is the last day of classes, and know we have a whole four weeks of summer to look forward to again. And this summer is going to be the best one yet!" Haruhi exclaimed, leaning over her desk so I could hear her more than well enough.

"Sounds exciting. Is it going to involve me waking up at the crack of dawn?"

"If necessary, then yes! I don't like waking up that early, but it will have to be done if it needs to be done. This summer is going to be ten times better than before! I'm going to do everything in my power to make it the best SOS Brigade summer that the world has ever seen!"

How can it be the best one if the world hasn't even seen one in the first place? I can't say I'm not glad to be hearing from the old Haruhi again, though. It's certainly better than hearing from the angry and irritated Haruhi that tried to rape me some time ago.

"I've got the whole list right here." Haruhi said, bringing out a piece of paper that I couldn't help but look at almost immediately. I raised an eyebrow when I was able to clearly see it.

"There's nothing written on it."

"Well, yeah. I still need to think it all up. Once I do, then we'll be all set to go." Haruhi replied, crossing her arms and putting on a very confident expression.

Whatever you say, Haruhi. I'm not going to go questioning your way of thinking. I've got more than enough experience now to know not to do that.

"Hey Haruhi."

"What?"

"You remember that book you were reading? It was called the Bible, right? Did you ever finish it?"

"Are you crazy, Kyon? I threw that away days ago! It was a piece of junk! All they ever talked about was this one guy who could do all these crazy things. It got boring and repetitive, so I just tossed it into the garbage." Haruhi blatantly replied, without giving a thought to just how many people she might be insulting.

I sighed in relief. Truth be told, I was beginning to hate the Bible. Now, I could forget about it, because the same book that had caused Haruhi to create the Antithesis in the first place was now safely on its way to a landfill. It was a nice thought.

After that, the rest of the day seemed to go by quite quickly, and surprisingly, I shared an almost pleasant lunch period with Haruhi, in which I listened to her discuss various ideas for what we could do on our summer break. She obviously had a lot on her mind.

"You think Keiichi-san would invite us to his island again?" Haruhi asked before she took a bite of fried shrimp.

"If you asked Koizumi nice enough, then he probably would. I wonder if my family wants to actually go away this summer…" I commented, my mind beginning to trail off.

"Well, they better not be, because I need you here. I would start freeing up your days now, Kyon." Haruhi said, with a dead serious look on her eyes. This kind of thing coming from her should have been expected from the start.

After my lunch, the rest of my classes went slow. I drudged through them as best as possible, mostly because my brain was already unwinding from the fact that this was our last day of school for quite awhile. Sure there would be summer homework that I would no doubt be procrastinating on, but at least I would now have a lot of free time on my hands. Free time that would be sucked away by my time with the SOS Brigade, of course.

Now, I was on my way to none other than the clubroom, where hopefully the rest of the Brigade's members waited for me. I can't think of any good reason why any of them would be absent on the last day, so I automatically figured that they would all in fact be present.

And when I opened the door the clubroom, I found that I was in fact right. Nagato was in the corner, reading another novel as always. Mikuru was in her maid outfit, and I wondered how she was not sweating in that thing in this weather. Itsuki was being served tea by our resident time traveler, and the Brigade Chief, Haruhi Suzumiya, was scribbling stuff on a piece of paper in front of the desktop computer.

"Yo." I said, not expecting a response of any kind.

And I was right. I got no response of any kind. And so I ignored the utter silence, and sat down in my usual seat in front of Koizumi's. There was no chess game set up, so I didn't have to worry about potentially losing a game against him, even though he was in fact terrible at bored games.

For a few seconds, we sat in silence. The silence was broken by Asahina-san, who came up behind me with tea.

"Would you like some, Kyon-kun?" she asked in a sweet voice that could make anyone's heart sing.

"Of course."

As Asahina-san poured me a cup of tea with her delicate little hands, Koizumi already had a smile on his face. Nagato ignored the majority of what was going on around her, and Haruhi was too busy scribbling on that piece of paper to care about what anyone else was doing.

"We never properly thanked you, you know." Koizumi said, in a voice that sounded surprisingly genuine and honest. I raised an eyebrow, and glanced at Haruhi, who seemed to still be ignoring everyone else as she continued to furiously write.

I knew exactly what Koizumi was talking about, of course. He was talking about the fact that I essentially saved everyone in this room from certain doom, including the same esper boy who I always thought felt like he was the greatest thing since white rice. Of course, he was wrong, and I couldn't help but be happy when I heard him admit that he was wrong.

"Thank you for everything, Kyon." Itsuki said, bowing to me as he did so.

"It's nothing." I replied, before taking a sip of Mikuru's delicious tea. If there was one thing I might miss over this summer, it would be Asahina-san's amazing tea. Of course, I could always hope that perhaps Haruhi would find a way to access the clubroom over the summer. Knowing her, anything is possible.

"Alright everyone! I'm leaving, and I expect you to do the same. I can't concentrate on this list of things to do for the summer if you're going to start talking and everything." Haruhi exclaimed all of a sudden, getting up from her chair with piece of paper in one of her hands.

"I'll contact you all if we're doing anything tomorrow. Otherwise, you can have the first day of summer off. Consider yourselves rewarded for all your hard work."

I don't think there was much more to talk about beyond that. I had some questions still going on in the back of my brain, especially concerning the recent events of a few days ago, but in the end, they would just remain unanswered. I should have figured this much. Without further ado, the clubroom was vacated as we said our various goodbyes, and surprisingly, I was the last one to leave, so I locked up, putting the clubroom key into one of my pockets.

When I was in the process of locking the door, I could see Haruhi in the distance, walking slowly down the hallway. Something clicked in the back of my brain, and I locked the door quickly, so I could actually catch up with our Brigade Chief at the end of the hallway.

"Still thinking about what we're going to be doing?" I asked the brown-haired girl who seemed like she was concentrating on her piece of paper. Now that we were truly alone, it seemed that Haruhi's mindset towards me was beginning to change.

"Yeah. Don't worry about it. I'll have it all figured out soon." She said as we walked along, and there remained to be a silence between us until we got outside of the school.

The sun hadn't begun to set yet, so plenty of sunlight permeated across the streets. Haruhi and I walked side by side, although we did not hold hands as I thought we might of. It's been a crazy few months, I must say. I'm still debating with myself if breaking up with Haruhi was such a good idea. And it's a wonder that she hasn't even mentioned a thing about it. Did she even care? Maybe Taniguchi was right for once in his pathetic existence. Maybe I was just "another boring human" to her.

In the end, Haruhi and I didn't actually say much to one another as we walked towards our houses. Hers was right on the corner of my street, so I would invariably have to drop her off before heading home myself. The silence was awkward, and although it gave me a lot of time to think, I felt like thoughts were irrelevant at a time like this.

After a few more minutes of walking, we finally arrived at Haruhi's house and the splitting up seemed even more awkward. Haruhi stood beside me, her head down, and I couldn't see the expression on her face. Something didn't feel right.

"Haruhi?"

Without warning, Haruhi Suzumiya came forward, and wrapped arms around me in a surprisingly strong hug. I didn't know what she was feeling at the moment, but her hug was telling me that she felt bad about something, or she was missing something. I certainly didn't expect it.

"Is something wrong?" I said, surprised, and I guess the urge came over me to hug Haruhi back. This kind of affection I never really expected from Haruhi. It was something I didn't even think she had the heart to do. I was obviously wrong.

"I'm sorry, Kyon."

That hit me hard. In all the time I've spent around Haruhi, I never expected her to say such a phrase to me. And the weirdest part was that it sounded like she actually meant it. And even weirder was the fact that I knew exactly what she was saying sorry about.

It seems that Haruhi might have actually realized what kind of emotional damage she caused with all that anger of hers. Not that it was her fault, but not knowing this connection she had with the orb, she probably believed it to be all her fault.

I couldn't just let Haruhi feel so bad like this. For as difficult as she was recently, I knew that somewhere inside me, there was still something there for her. The problem was, I had to be bigger than that, and I had to realize what might be the best thing for the both of us.

"Haruhi…I think a break is good for the two of us." I said, after our Brigade Chief had let me free from her hug. I didn't see tears on her face, but her expression was nonetheless sad.

"You have a point. The Brigade Chief shouldn't have distractions over the summer…"

I guess Haruhi is trying to take it all as best as she can. I really don't like doing this kind of stuff, but at a time like this, it's almost necessary. I put both hands on Haruhi's shoulders, and she looked up at me, a surprised expression on her face.

"Let's just not worry about it for now. Focus on this summer, and all the things you have planned for the Brigade. We can always talk about this in more detail when the time comes. It's just too stressful to think about right now." I told Haruhi, and to my surprise, she actually seemed to understand.

"You're right. I need to get this list done, Kyon! Prepare yourself! This will be the most action-packed summer yet!" Haruhi exclaimed to me, her mindset and tone completely changing before she turned tail and made a sprint to her front door.

I was left standing there in a state of wonder. It couldn't have been that easy. Haruhi couldn't have just simply listened to something I had said, and then acted on it. I didn't just convince our Brigade Chief to listen to someone else for once, did I?

But the truth was, I think I did. Haruhi heard me out, listened, and seemed to take my advice. We were apart now, and perhaps it was for the better. Perhaps there would be less stress on Haruhi, and not to mention less stress on myself as well. Now we could all focus on a hopefully fun-filled summer with the rest of the Brigade. There was already a spark in the back of my mind that couldn't wait for the summer break to begin.

Still, Haruhi had obviously begun to change for the better. Or maybe this orb had influence on her longer than we might have thought. No. I don't think that's the case. It just managed to make here more pissed off and angrier than usual. Maybe I wouldn't have broken up with her if it hadn't done such a thing.

You know, something tells me things will get better. Can Haruhi and I stay separated like this forever? If I wanted to answer truthfully, I'd definitely say no. So I should cherish this time. It's time I get to spend on my own again, as just a member of the SOS Brigade.

I took one last glance at Haruhi's house, and I couldn't help but wonder what was going on in that mind of hers. Supposedly I had been in it some time ago, but it still didn't give me too much insight to her true emotions. I really hope she's just as happy as she puts out, but I of course can never be to sure. In the end, I do just want her to be happy. I guess I care about the girl in more ways than one.

And with that last thought, I decided to head home.

Tomorrow would be the start of our summer, and I had a feeling it would be the best one yet. Whenever Haruhi Suzumiya is part of the equation, the phrase "anything is possible" really does have precedence in my usually normal existence. It's wonder I don't take the time to count myself lucky in more ways than one...

_**THE END**_

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**Well hello reader! If you're reading this, than you've succesfully survived THREE entire fanfics of mine. I hope it wasn't a hard road, and if it was, I'm telling you now that it's not even close to over. As anyone might infer, I'm not ending these stories until the end of the SOS Brigade's third year, where high school will officially end for them. There are tons and tons of possibilites with all that time in my hands, and I assure you that I'm going to make the best of it. I'd like to thank everyone for reading and reviewing this once again, and although I don't consider this story to be the best one yet, I still think it was a relative success. But enough about that, and onward with bigger and better things.**

**The title for the next story has alreay been decided, and I'm calling it, _The Normalcy of Haruhi Suzumiya. _****You might think that Kyon and Haruhi's relationship will remain broken, but you may very well be wrong. The next story will be much more romantic, because I have quite A LOT of stuff planned. So thanks for reading everyone. My break between this story and the next will be an undecided amount of time, but rest assured I will not take forever, and the time is mainly for a bit of break and a lot of brainstorming. Stay tuned everyone. :)**


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